BPL adopts La Liga system
Sport
The Botswana Premier League (BPL) board of governors is said to be on gearing up to start implementing Spain’s La Liga strategy as efforts to improve the domestic game are now being given earnest consideration.
A team that had gone to Spain for a benchmarking exercise has told this publication that BPL will, by hook or crook, adopt and implement one football policy known as economic control system. The football mechanism ensures that no club will operate in the elite league while battling financial difficulties. Sources at the BPL office indicate that premier league chairpersons are already discussing the model behind closed doors as this will be implemented in the next season.
It is indicated that the football mechanism will bar any premier league team from participating in the BTC league while they owe players and any other stakeholders related to the club. Sources say it will be pertinent for the league to press forward with this exercise. Sources say the league will be on a better stance to now monitor its daily operations on its own. Close tabs will be kept on all teams, and as such, any team that is seen to have accrued heavy debt will not be allowed to participate in the elite league. The mechanism inadvertently forces team to pay players without fail.
Thabo Ntshinogang who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the league said he will not reveal any information about the plans of the league as yet. He is of the view that an appropriate time will come where everything will be shared. “There is nothing I can talk to you about that issue, the league is still negotiating amongst itself and information will be given to you as soon as possible,” he said. BPL signed a memorandum of agreement with La Liga sometime last year October.
A two day workshop has already been held in Botswana where titles like leadership, corporate governance and management, football marketing among others have been discussed. BPL clubs will continue to attend the workshops in order to learn from La Liga’s knowledge in all those aforementioned areas.
Before the two parties took their step of faith, the CEOs had an exchange of programmes where La Liga top directors met the BPL CEO together with the head of secretariat of BFA in Madrid. The idea was to have training sessions on the management and operation of La Liga to be implemented similarly in Botswana. There is a clause tailor made for local coaches, where in the event that a local coach wins coach of the season, they will be awarded with a trip to Spain where they will attend a course that will run for weeks.
The two parties will continue to make collaborative efforts to organise friendly matches between La Liga clubs and teams from Botswana during the off season. La Liga is a private law Sports Association which is solely and obligatorily comprised of all the sports corporations and clubs that take part in official nation-wide professional football competitions. It also known as La Liga Santander for sponsorship reasons with Santander, it is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system.
Sport
Orange injects P350 000 into Phikwe marathon
Mobile network Orange Botswana is committed to supporting the development of local sport. Through its sponsorship, the company will be able to promote and market the sport. According to Maano Masisi, the company believes that sport can unite people from different backgrounds.
He stated that through the sponsorship of the marathon, the company will help promote healthy lifestyles and unity among the people of Selebi Phikwe.
The Selebi Phikwe Marathon is scheduled to take place on July 29, 2023. It is expected that it will attract international, regional, and social runners. A total of P216 000 has been allocated for the prize money for the first ten places in the 42.2 km race. For the 15km and 10km races, the LOC will give away prizes to the first five places.
Sport
Big Guns for Botswana Grand Prix
The National Stadium will be lit up with fireworks on April 29, 2023, as some of the best international athletes will participate in the maiden Botswana Grand prix.
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Sport
AFRICA’S RECOVERY: Sports as game changer
The year 2022 witnessed unprecedented phenomena. Several Africans- Gotytom Gebreslase, Sharon Lokedi, Victor Kiplangat, Tamarit Tola and many others- swept the World’s marathons records.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting control measures implemented in several countries, led to many high-level sports competitions being cancelled or shelved, the Dakar 2022 Youth Olympic Games was moved to 2026.
Founder and Executive Chairman, African Sports and Creative Institute, Will Mabiakop, says the inability to hold traditional and amateur sports events have had a serious effect on public health overall, including mental health, sparking a revolution whereby athletes began to talk more openly about stress, mental overload and performance anxiety.
“Africa is home to the fastest growing economies before the crisis, no longer on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). COVID-19 deepened interdependence between SDGs, making them harder to achieve, especially SDG 10 (reducing inequality) and SDG 5 (gender equality_ as the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on poorer countries, and heavier burdens (such as care work) fell to women.”
Mabiakop stresses that as policymakers contemplate actions to speed up recovery and build resilience, they must argue that sports and creative businesses should play a central feature in this effort.
“The sports economy worldwide is estimated at 5% of GDP, but only 0.5% in Africa. If exploited, Africa’s sports and creative industries can offer policymakers innovative solutions. Especially, as regards job creation, and providing employment to the 15 million people entering the job market annually.”
HOW CAN THE INDUSTRY DO THIS?
By leveraging the two-for-one concept: past studies shown that a 1% growth in the economy delivers a 2% job increment in this sector (these ratios are calculated using data from 48 African countries and adjusted to the reality of the sports economy in Africa by the authors). There are between 30 and 50 job types, in sports and creative industries, respectively. These jobs do not fade away with the first major shock.
Mabiakop indicated that policymakers can use these industries to tackle multiple crises- jobs, poverty, and climate risks. Sports diplomacy- defined as communication, representation and negotiation in or through the prism of sports- has proven effective in building inclusive and cohesive societies. Moreover, sports and the creative industry can support better mental health and well-being, both important for productivity.
“Policymakers can also be true to the game by leveraging culture and tradition to celebrate identity and reap commercial value in sports, textiles and jewelry. Creative sectors allow deeper connection with culture, are not easily copied and provide great economic potential.”
He said supporting grassroots sports has powerful distributional effects. “Fortunately, technology has made reaching wide audiences easier, generating higher rates of success when talent is discovered.”
However, Mabiakop held that potential pitfalls must be highlighted. “First avoid build it and they will come policies with infrastructures denuded from the rest of the ecosystem. Like the many sports stadiums left largely unused.”
“Policymakers must remain mindful of how these sectors move the needle in human capital development. Also, align the requisite public policies needed for progress from grassroots participation to professional sports, and even to international sporting events. They should also support investment instruments to render these sectors performant.”