Sir Seretse Khama Barracks (SSKB) netball courts will be a hub of activity this coming weekend as local netballers are set to battle it out in the ‘Best of the Best Netball Tournament.’
The tournament which has been organised by BDF Cats as a fundraising activity for BDF’s development team Jaspers is pencilled for the 21st to the 22nd of this month. With the league long concluded and local netballers now inactive, it is said the tournament will also benefit national team players who will take part in Africa qualifiers scheduled for August.
The tournament is said to be one of the biggest ever organised by BDF Cats, with invitations sent to regional netball clubs. Already, Zimbabwe’s Gold Reef men and women netball teams have confirmed it will grace the event and battle with local players.
From Botswana, six teams, including hosts BDF Cats, Prison’s Vipers and Police have confirmed their participation. All the teams have confirmed they will bring both men and women teams.
According to the tournament organizer Boykie Rathari, this will be the first time they are hosting a much bigger tournament, saying they normally host small tournaments which include locals teams only.
He said “We hope to see more competition in the games, as teams turn SSKB into a battle field.”
Rathari highlighted that their main aim is to raise funds for Jaspers. “Our development team has no funds to attend their tournaments, as such we would donate the funds raised to the management so that they can be able to participate and get more exposure,” he added.
As with many locally organised sporting events, Rathari said as the organisers they are struggling to find sponsors for the event and they are now financing it from their own pockets. “Currently there is no sponsor for the tournament so I am working from my pocket. I am however optimistic that someone may come on board and offer to assist with whatever they can afford to help with,” he added.
Meanwhile preparations for the tournament are said to be at an advanced stage. “Preparations are going well, the tournament will be held at SSKB, with Zimbabwe teams accommodated at Nkoyaphiri Primary school,” he said.
Moreover, Rathari narrated that it is his plan to host such a tournament annually, as such there will be prizes to motivate teams that participated highlighting that there will be no prize money.
“There will be an overall holding trophy, medals and trophies for position 1, 2 and 3. We will also recognise the best shooter, midcourt, defender and overall player of the tournament,” he added.
He concluded that right after the tournament he will start planning for a tournament for his home village Mmankgodi for youngsters to showcase their talent, with more information to be revealed with time.
