- As BNSC grants P572, 400 for netball Youth Development league
The Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) has granted the Botswana Netball Association (BONA) a Club Development Grant of P572, 400 for the 2024/2025 Financial Year to support the development of netball across the country.
According to BONA the grant will be used to host the 2024 Under 21 Youth Development League on the 19th October 2024 and will feature 18 teams divided into four regional brackets.
Bracket A hosted by Orapa consists of Moepo, Thunderbolts, Maun Heroes and Boteti while bracket B which will be hosted by Palapye features Tasc, Nico United, Morupule, Uprising Stars and Tafic. Jwaneng Town will host Police, BDF Cats, Prisons and Jwaneng in Bracket C while Gaborone will host Vipers, Notwane, UB Crystals, Thamaga Jaspers and CSE Mogoditshane are under Bracket D.
In an interview, BONA Marketing and Public Relations Officer Stanley Modibedi said the competition will start with the first round in each bracket, followed by a second round leading to the Top8 Playoffs in Orapa.
He stated that the league will culminate with the finals in Gaborone, with dates to be announced. According to him, the grant they received from BNSC will be used to facilitate the smooth running of the 2024 Under 21 Youth Development League and to support netball clubs in building talent at the grass roots level.
Modibedi has appreciated BNSC for the unwavering support indicating that BONA look forward to an exciting season of netball development. He has noted that the league is a vital platform for nurturing young talent and preparing future netball stars to represent Botswana on national and international stages.
‘‘This substantial investment by BNSC underscores its commitment to empowering youth and fostering growth in sports, particularly netball,” he said.
Maun Heroes Marketing and Public Relations Officer Mokeresete Mokeresete has told Times Sport that their team has been preparing for the league and they have assembled 30 players who are currently attending training.
‘‘As Maun Heroes, a well-established team striving to be one of the best around the country, we have been preparing well for the league, something which is on our advantage is that our team is mainly made up of the young players aged below 21 and they also form part of our senior team,’’ he said.
Mokeresete has therefore expressed that participating in the youth league will enable them to prepare for the National Netball League. He noted that participating in the league will also give their players an opportunity to develop as they have more game time.
