Young Stars' status talks still on

The Debswana First Division South league champions have so far received at least two offers for their BPL status since they gained promotion. According to the club chairperson, Banyatsi Gaedie, the first offer fell through while discussions with the second potential buyer were progressing well. Although Gaedie preferred not to mention names, there have been reports that Peleng giants, Extension Gunners, are the favourites and might return to the elite league next season. “We were approached by several potential buyers, the latest one I received was today. Our discussions with the other one are progressing well but nothing is tied up so far,” he said. Gaedie said by January this year, they realised that their journey to the Premier League was becoming clearer and they started their preparations immediately.

He said they made a lot of progress, particularly on issues of compliance. “As you are aware, Club Licensing requirements are a bit relaxed in the lower division compared to the Premier League. The demands in the elite League are also high including travelling costs so we had to start our preparations very early,” Gaedie said. He said taking into consideration the costs of running a club, as a business, they decided that if they find a good suitor, they will negotiate. He, however, made it clear that they agreed that they would not only consider profitable offers but the suitor should also be able to offer a status in the second-tier league. “We prefer a swap deal because if we sell to you, say for P1 million, and you don’t have a team, or status in the First Division, it means we will have to start from scratch and it will take us many years to build something like this.

We also made it clear that we can only accept a status in the Debswana First Division South league and not other regions,” he said. Gaedie also told MmegiSport that they have engaged all the stakeholders including the technical team, players, supporters and sponsors about the status of the club. He also said players in particular have been offered counselling where necessary adding that they are willing to listen to offers for those who may seek greener pastures elsewhere. “We will not stand in any player’s way. You have to understand that players were excited about playing in the Premier League, understandably so, and we will not in any way deny them that opportunity if they decide to leave. Some of the players were previously playing in the elite league and they came here to play for only a season in the lower division before they return to the big stage,” he said.

Gaedie also said they have advertised the post of the head coach so that they can meet the requirements of the Club Licensing in case they play in the Premier League next season. The current head coach, Andrew Tlou, does not have the right qualifications to sit on the bench as the head coach but will remain in the technical team while the club assists him in enrolling for courses. Meanwhile, Gaedie also confirmed reports that they are considering relocating from Jwaneng in the near future. He said they considered the fact that double champions, Jwaneng Galaxy are dominant in Jwaneng. He said it will be difficult for Young Stars to penetrate Galaxy’s support base and even sponsors and are considering relocating to among other places, Moshupa and Gaborone. “But we are still engaging,” he said.