On Saturday, Rollers take on FC Ambassadors at the Royal Aria Stadium at 4pm to mark the Gaborone Region Women's Football Division 1 opening weekend. Banyana Ba Popa were promoted to Division 1 from the second tier last season and will look to reclaim their place amongst the top women's teams in the country. Rollers were once a giant in their division and are one of the few teams to claim league honours without a defeat as they did in the then Super League in 2016. It remains the team's last piece of silverware as they enjoyed close to a decade of terrorising their opponents. The team was relegated to the lower division in 2022. The team, however, managed to secure promotion in the 2023 season. Under the leadership of club president and investor, Tendai Sebata, the team is seeking a return to its glory days.
Rollers were amongst the busier teams on the market with the acquisition of Mares' central midfielder, Annah Sechane, and forward, Kelebogile Magaga, from Gaborone United (GU). The duo returns to the club alongside recruits that include defender Boitshepo Lombala, forward Lopang Oitshegile, and midfield prospect Precious Tlhapi, amongst others. Thatoeng told MmegiSport this week that the team would want reinforcements in defence and goalkeeping departments.
He, however, said they had to prioritise other positions. It is set to be a tightly contested campaign with the promotion of Police XI and Rollers, whilst Security Systems and Double Action are also seen as a threat to defending champions, GU. The next season will have a national league divided into the north and south regions and only two teams from the Gaborone Division 1 will earn spots in the new league model. "Every opponent in this Division would be tough, and us at Township we will take each game at a time and prepare for the next looking at how we performed in our last game. We are ready to compete although we start the league with some injuries and we want everyone to compete and play. We do not have a complete first team and this week we are finalising the final squad," said Thatoeng. The youthful tactician is aware of the pressure of leading a club with such interest as Rollers. This is his biggest assignment as a coach after stints with Makufa and Mogoditshane Fighters, among others.
He said the club is in a rebuilding phase but they would pose a huge threat in the league. "The team had dropped and the promotion was not easy from Division 2, and obliviously we cannot expect a lot in the first season (back) in the top. We are trying to build the team steadily but we want to compete. Rollers is a big club, a big brand so the pressure is not like at other teams. The role demands from me as a coach and it is up to me on how I handle the pressure," Thatoeng added. In other games, UB Kicks will play Mazottie at 8:30am tomorrow. Champions, GU begin their campaign against Police XI on Sunday at 8:30am whilst Systems and Double Action clash in an afternoon 4pm kick-off. The four games will take place at the Lekidi East and West grounds.
