Maun Heroes netball club has advanced to the semi-finals of the U21 Youth Development Netball League which will be held on the 14th December 2024 in Gaborone.
Maun Heroes will join Police, BDF and Mogoditshane Centre of Sports Excellence to battle for the championship. Heroes qualified for the same finals after playing three games in which they won two and lost one in Orapa over the weekend. From the three matches played, Heroes walloped Tafic 67-34 and also won 50-46 against UB Crystals while BDF won 62-40 against Maun Heroes.
In an interview, the club’s Marketing and Public Relations Officer Mokeresete Mokeresete told Times Sport that it was not a surprise to have qualified for the semi-finals, citing the experienced team that has been together for a long time. He noted that the team has been together since 2019 working through proper structures.
“Our players have gained experience and exposure at a young age because as a club we are more focused on development, we never stop training, therefore our performance was not a surprise,” he said.
He also noted that the support they get from the business community and various stakeholders also keeps them motivated, hence they managed to perform better. Mokeresete highlighted that last year Crocodile Camp and SKL Group of Companies sponsored their players for a 10 days accommodation and that has motivated them. Mokeresete has stated that currently there is another company operating in Letlhakane and Orapa called Rivoliyer Holdings which also forms part of their sponsorship,
In preparations for the semi-finals, Mokeresete has noted that from Thursday this week the team will be training daily and attend a camp on Sunday. He urged members of public to come on board and support the team by attending training sessions that will be held at Tshwaragano JSS in Maun.
Meanwhile, the 2024 Under 21 Youth Development League is facilitated by the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) through a club development grant of P572, 400 to Botswana Netball Association (BONA) for the 2024/2025 financial year to support the development of netball across the country. The league featured 18 teams divided into four regional brackets.
Bracket A hosted by Orapa consisted of Moepo, Thunderbolts, Maun Heroes and Boteti, while bracket B which was hosted by Palapye featured Tasc, Nico United, Morupule, Uprising Stars and Tafic. Jwaneng Town hosted Police, BDF Cats, Prisons and Jwaneng in Bracket C while Gaborone hosted Vipers, Notwane, UB Crystals, Thamaga Jaspers and CSE Mogoditshane under Bracket D.
