The clubs said the costs for preparing for the tournament are high compared to the prize money on offer. Winners in both the men's and women's sections will get P20,000, while P15,000 has been reserved for the runners-up. Teams that finish third will get P10,000 while number four receives P7,500.
Teams in position five will get P6,500, P6,000 is for number six, while those in positions seven and eight receive P5,000. Tati Bulls, Motlakase, Diphofu, Raptures, and Sua Raiders are the teams reportedly considering a boycott. Orelibile Robert of Diphofu said they have decided not to take part in the eliminations. “Everything was going well until we realised that going to the eliminations is going to cost us a lot. We have decided not to take part in the eliminations. For us to travel from Tonota to Orapa, our budget stands at P8,000,” he said.
Robert said they have informed the Northern Zone leadership about the club's decision. An official at Raptures who preferred anonymity said they have decided to withdraw from the eliminations. He said they proposed that the games should be postponed until they get enough information from the BSA National Executive Committee concerning the prize money. The budget for Raptures from Serowe to Orapa stands at P6,700 for both men and women. The registration fee is P1,000 and P100 are paid for the ball, which takes the expenses to P7,800.
If Raptures qualify for the finals in Gaborone with both teams, they will pay the P400 registration fee and the team will need P9,900 to attend the games which are almost equivalent to the prize money for the third-placed team. Considering the expenses for the eliminations, Raptures feel they will record losses. But Pako Maforaga of Rail Giants said the biggest problem is not about prize money. “It is about the North reviewing its competition structure to strike a balance between managing costs and remaining competitive.
The Northern Zone right now is more focused on saving money and travelling less,” he said. Maforaga said in a normal league set up from January to May, a team will play in early February and play again beginning of March and end of March then proceed to the championship. “They will not be ready to face stiff competition from clubs that play almost every weekend, hence the scale is always in favour of the South. Even a team that is not strong in the South will always fancy their chances against Northern Zone teams,” Maforoga said.
Northern Zone general manager, Gofaone Pilane told Mmegi Sport that he is aware of clubs complaining about the prize money. “They want to pull out of the eliminations as the prize money is little and the difference between first prize and the last prize,” he said. Pilane said at the moment the issue is out of his control but he has pleaded with the clubs to participate in the eliminations. He said the situation is made worse by a lack of sponsorship as most companies are still recovering from the impact of COVID-19. Meanwhile, the Southern Zone will host the women's eliminations at the National Diamond in Gaborone this weekend. Group A has Titans, Panthers, BDF IX, and UB Giants while Bears, Wells, Vikings, and Dinare are in Group B. The finals, sponsored by Archein Hardware, will be played in Gaborone during the Independence Day holidays.
