Volleyball league starts in August

MOSAH MOKGANEDI
Correspondent | Thursday June 26, 2008 00:00

 

BVF vice president (technical) Waboraro Mokgatla said the general assembly in Palapye agreed over the weekend that the league should go-ahead as planned.

However, Mokgatla is still hopeful that they will get a sponsor. He said they have learnt something from their efforts of seeking a sponsor and that they will now propose sponsorships in a more mature way. Mokgatla said sponsors want mileage unlike in the past when they were only doing it for charity.  The BVF has been struggling to stage the league in recent years and have since resorted to playing tournaments. That has not helped the situation as tournaments are played over a short period, meaning players remain idle for a long time, prompting some stakeholders to agitate for a non-sponsored league. The long lay-off has resulted in the game losing its spark, as spectators no longer turn up in large numbers. This has also resulted in national teams faring poorly at international tournaments.

Mokgatla explained that the non-sponsored league will come with few changes when it kicks off in two months' time.

He said the league would be national unlike in the past when it was played at zonal level before proceeding to the Top 8. He said that they were initially worried about the financial implications, but 'it is okay now because we have been given the go-ahead by the teams'.

Mokgatla also said they are still in talks with tournament sponsors and hopes that the two tournaments will be staged sometime before the end of the year. In another positive development, BVF has signed an agreement with Botswana Television (Btv) to cover their games live. Mokgatla is happy that players in the North will now have a chance to progress as fast as their counterparts in the South zone.

He said in the past it was not easy for northern players to make it into the national squad as selections were confined to Gaborone. Mokgatla lambasted affiliates that run to the media when things are not going well at the federation.

He was referring to insinuations by some stakeholders ahead of the meeting who had complained about the federation's failure to engage them in the running of the game.

Mokgatla said it is the responsibility of every stakeholder to demand explanations when things go wrong. 'Communication should not be one-sided. In as much as affiliates want us to engage them, they should always let us know if they are not happy rather than run to the media,' he said. Mokgatla also said affiliates should not wait for meetings to air their grievances as the BVF doors are always open. Meanwhile, the vice president (administration) Goaba Nkoborwane, who was involved in a car accident while travelling to Palapye for the meeting, is said to be recuperating at Sekgoma Memorial Hospital in Serowe.