The competitiveness on the field eclipsed the top three leagues in local football as the curtain came down on an impressive 2022-2023 season last weekend. The DFDS was, however, initially threatened by dragging sponsorship talks as the league resumed while the league office and mining giant, Debswana were in renewal talks.
The agreement took a while to conclude but eventually Debswana stayed on for a further three years. The DFDS league office was later embroiled in a ticket pricing brawl with Mochudi Centre Chiefs. The Kgatleng was brought before the league office for charging P5 extra compared to the league’s P25 standard price. The DFDS was also not shielded from the recent refereeing debacle that rocked the local football scenes. The league secretary-general, Ishmael Modise has, however, commended the pitch action.
He said clubs showed intent through their recruitment process in the two transfer window openings. In their debut season, VTM FC acquired former Orlando Pirates duo, Sifiso Myeni and Rooi Mahamutsa. Other high-profile players including Remington Masuku joined Notwane, Galabgwe Moyana at Mochudi Centre Chiefs and Mmoloki Masoko at Matebejana amongst others. Modise also lauded the clubs’ presence on social media platforms as he said it helped sell the league and it is the right move towards professionalism. “It was a season without many complications; you may remember we had that issue with Chiefs over ticket pricing but one should look into the positives. One thing we have seen is an increase in the number of supporters. I should credit the teams in the South for marketing and branding themselves to their respective supporters. Most of these are teams from villages; a team like Matebele had the whole Matebeleng village rallying behind them. In Ramonaka, they were all behind CRACKiT City Polar so these teams have been robust in terms of marketing with their social media pages,” Modise said.
He also lauded Chiefs’ P68 million sponsorship deal with travel and logistics company, DC Tours. Modise said this shows clubs in the league are attractive enough to lure multi-million pula deals. The DFDS had the country on its toes on the final day as four teams were in contention for the promotional places.
The battle to survive also attracted interest as the league dished one of the most exciting final days in local football. Matebele easily slid into the elite league for the first time in history after their win on the final day. Finishing second, VTM also have a chance to make their Premier League debut as a two-legged tie against Chadibe FC awaits in the promotional playoffs. Giants, Notwane and Mochudi Centre Chiefs will once again play in the second tier in the next season alongside the ambitious City Polar. Premier League sleeping giants, Extension Gunners, will join the teams and Mogoditshane Fighters are condemned to the DFDS league as yet another exciting season in the 2023-2024 season beckons.
