Association spends a lot on paying for venues
TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO
Botswana Basketball Association (BBA) president Boineelo Hardy says her association is crippled by lack of facilities which leads to them spending a lot of money in paying for venues.
Speaking in a telephone interview with Gazette Sport, Hardy noted that they had nothing to consider as the home of Basketball in Botswana something which hugely concerns them. “The lack of facilities across the country and particularly in Gaborone concerns us .We don’t have anything to call the home of Basketball,” she said. “We currently had the Tsholofelo courts availed to us but they need a lot of work for them to reach the standards necessary for a Basketball game to be played.”
She said her association is working very hard to ensure that they have a facility that is available for Basketball at all times. “Basketball is an indoor sport but for us not to have an outdoor court available for the association constantly is very disturbing,” Hardy pointed out. “ We have to pay institutions and the like for our matches to be played: it’s really disturbing to us.”
Last year BBA spokesperson Thabang Maranyane revealed to this publication that their association is planning to erect their own facility. He said they have a plot just behind the Botswana National Sports Commission offices. “And we are obviously going to need funds and that is the discussion we have been having with the BNSC. At the moment we are still talking with them over issues of title deeds, and honestly the talks are still at an initial stage.
We are also still trying to ask how much we would need for such a project, what is needed and how much is the value of the plot. We will then now begin the process of finding an investor, whose willing to invest in such a project. We believe the BNSC will have no problems with this and we are very positive that they will give us the green light to undertake this project. ,” he told this publication.
On a different note, Hardy said her association will work in all ways to ensure that they produce quality basketball players. “ There is a pilot program for the Jr NBA that’s going to be introduced very soon, it’s a tried and tested program which is mostly based on competition. It excites me a lot as I strongly believe it’s going to work for us,” she stated.