31 Jul 2019

Assistant district commissioner, Ramogaupi Gaborekwe has hailed Botswana Football Association (BFA) for touching base with regions in an effort to take football to greater heights.

Gaborekwe urged all football structures to join hands with BFA to revive football adding that the country had a lot of potential in sport.

Giving a keynote address at a five-day course, which attracted BFA structures and other stakeholders, Gaborekwe said the association had come up with a well-written constitution, which outlined all matters related to football and wished all could support it.  

He said in order to grow, they needed to embrace change, noting that it should not be business as usual as they were expected to produce positive results. 

He called on administrators and managers to up their game and portray the importance of sport in human development.

Gaborekwe revealed that Nhabe region had a wealth of talent, which needed to be developed, nurtured and upskilled to produce quality players who could represent the country in future.

He advised participants to learn new things during the course with an intention to improve and comply with the constitutions.

He also paid tribute to all sport veterans, who contributed meaningfully to the country, citing the likes of Ashford Mamelodi, whom he said sat in different structures in the football fraternity be it at local, regional and international level.

The course instructor, Mamelodi concurred with the assistant district commissioner that Botswana had a lot of potential in football. 

He said if all structures could exploit that potential, the country could have an opportunity to play in big competitions such as the World Cup and AFCON.

He also  pointed out that women football could also do wonders if regions could work together. 

He stated that women football was currently going through a challenging phase.

However, he said regions were the only hope to turn things around for the women so as to ensure that they reach elite competitions such as Women Football World Cup. 

He revealed that a lot could be done in Nhabe region in producing quality players who could play in national teams. 

He said clubs were failing because they depended much on handouts from national executive committee.Nhabe region, he said, should not be seen struggling to secure sponsorship because their region was a tourism destination.

Failure to secure sponsorships, he said, was a sign that something was not being done right and advised clubs to reflect and correct their mistakes. He highlighted that the course would add value and improve club leadership capabilities.

Nhabe Regional Football Association chairperson, Norman Sebele said to grow football, they needed to comply with laid down rules and regulations.

He hailed BFA for the course, noting that it would help them improve their administration skills and also help in individual growth and discipline.

The workshop, he said would help them identify their mistakes and come up with solutions. Ends