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To begin with, emerged an Olympic champion, who established Botswana on the athletic map by winning the top medal in the 200m at the international games. Presently, there is Gaborone United Ladies, who achieved status as the first ever football team to win a continental honor and will make history by appearing in the African club championship this year.

Historic Accomplishment

Gaborone United secured the regional championship after defeating opponents from Zambia Zesco Ndola Girls in a shootout following a even draw in late summer. The win guarantees they will represent the southern zone at the elite CAF Champions League event.

“It’s a great achievement for the whole Botswana. This marks our initial major cup. Not a single team, whether at age group or adult level, been able to bring a cup to the country,” stated the team's coach.

Rapid Progress

Gaborone United are consecutive Botswana Women’s Championship winners, and their rise has been impressive. Elevated to the first division in 2023, they finished as runners-up that season, won the title in next, and then aimed themselves to not only win again but improve their own records in the current campaign.

“Last year we had a single draw in the league and our goal statistics were room for improvement,” Monene says. “This time, we sat down and said, let’s see how we can enhance the statistics. By the end of the season, we realized that we exceeded all the records.”

Impressive Season

They won all 14 matches in this year’s league and scored sixty-one goals, significantly more than runners-up Double Action (35) and conceded only three. They brought that goalscoring form into the African playoffs, scoring eleven times in the group stage matches and another four in the finals.

Their offensive efforts were spearheaded by forward Gaonyadiwe Ontlametse, who found the back of the net 7 times in 4 matches, including 5 against Lesotho’s Kick4Life. “Ontlametse is a talent whose capabilities are exceptional so she can score from any situation,” Monene commented. “Her attributes include speed, possesses aggression and is a good finisher.”

Next Challenges

He warns, though all that may need improvement when the team gets to the Champions League and meets stronger opposition. So far, 5 of the eight teams in the tournament have been finalized, including defending champions TP Mazembe, Moroccan champions, and two teams from the northern zone.

“One thing she should work on is that she’s a player that finds it hard to play without the ball,” Monene says. “Therefore when we are against a team that we are forced to defend more, she could find it tough.”

Star Mindset

Ontlametse commented that while she admits she enjoys to play when she is for goal, she is willing to make necessary adjustments where required: “I enjoy attacking football but I also know that at the top stage you must adapt. In the Champions League, games are more tactical, and if that means giving up a bit of my attacking freedom for the benefit of the team, I am ready.”

Unbeaten Run

Based on the stats is anything to go by, the rest of the United Ladies squad appear to share the same way. They are unbeaten in a long time, and the most recent occasion they lost a match was at the previous CAF Champions League Cosafa qualifiers when they fell in a shootout against the a South African side in the decider.

“We were just so close then,” Monene stated. “It would have been so disappointing to get to a second final and lose, particularly as it was my third in a row.”

Managerial Experience

Monene calls himself “a coach that is very focused, who’s very energetic and who’s ready to work with players” and has the record to show for it. Apart from his role at United Ladies, he also runs the Future Stars Academy, which works with young men between the years of 9 and 20 and has provided over 30 players to the Botswana men’s Premier League.

Team Backing

Monene also has the backing of the structures in the country’s football to help. Although the league as a whole is not professional, Gaborone United, owned by entrepreneur and civil engineer Nicholas Zakhem, have both men’s and women’s team and are stepping up.

“We have moved away from a completely amateur system to one that includes structured player salaries and rewards,” said a team official. “Currently not yet at the level of the African biggest clubs but we are focused on scaling up gradually each year.”

Botswana Football Development

They hope others in the country will follow suit as Botswana continues to emerge on the world footballing map. With a number of people of over 2.5 million people, Botswana is 44th out of 54 countries on the African continent in terms of size but it punches well above its weight.

Botswana's women’s side have been involved in the previous two Afcons and made it to the last eight on their first appearance in that year, while their men’s team will take part at the continental showpiece for the first time since 2012 this year. Additionally, they also have a club team in the CAF Champions League.