The Botswana Hockey Association (BHA) is planning to host the first ever commercialised national hockey league.
The groundbreaking tournament is expected to commence in Gaborone and Francistown before the end of this year. As part of a broader strategy, the association also intends to revive the sport in Maun and Selibe Phikwe, with plans to eventually expand the league into those regions.
In an interview, BHA Head of Development, Conrad Ben said that the upcoming league will be open to players aged 14 and older. The tournament is initially scheduled to run for eight weeks, though Ben noted the duration could be extended depending on the final number of registered teams.
According to Ben, the primary goal of the league is to identify talented players who can eventually transition into and strengthen the national hockey teams. He acknowledged that Botswana currently lags behind other nations regarding sports development standards, making this league a crucial stepping stone.
According to Ben, currently there are active hockey clubs in Gaborone and Francistown hence they have decided to start the league in those areas.
He has however indicated that their intention is to make sure that the league reaches other areas like Maun and Selibe Phikwe where the sport used to be active. Ben noted that they intent revive the league and identify talent in these areas by training athletes, coaches, umpires and technical officials.
He urged the players in other areas to form hockey clubs, indicating that for a region to be eligible to participate in the league it has to register a total of 35 players. Ben said that for a hockey team to be registered under the BHA it has to consist of 20 members.
Ben, an experienced coach, concluded by offering his direct support to emerging teams, pledging to facilitate essential equipment and technical skills to help them establish themselves in the new league.
Meanwhile, the BHA Under-16 and Under-18 boys and girls national field hockey teams recently made a strong impression with competitive top-five finishes at the prestigious Zimbabwe Junior Hockey Series in Harare.
The competition attracted teams from Zimbabwe (Host nation), Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Eswatini, and Malawi. The tournament featured around 590 players across 32 international and local teams, competing across the U13, U16, and U18 age categories. Zimbabwe and Namibia claimed top podium victories at the competition.
