Gaborone — Four premier league giants are set to battle it out at the 5th Jwaneng Mine General Manager's Soccer Fiesta at the Jwaneng United Stadium from Friday until Sunday.
According to vice chairperson of the tournament, Njabulo Gilika, this year's invited teams include Jwaneng Galaxy, Mochudi Centre Chiefs, Gaborone United Football Club and African Stars Football Club from Namibia.
Gilika said the fiesta had always made a point of including a club from outside Botswana, an intention the organisers planned to keep, rotating in different international teams over time.
He noted that the tournament came during a pre-season stage, and was meant to help local teams prepare for the season ahead.
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He singled out Jwaneng Galaxy Football Club, who would be competing in continental football, which needed to be match-ready before the domestic season started.
Gilika said alongside the fiesta's community focus, organisers were also mindful of supporting the country's football on the continental stage.
He said proceeds from the tournament would go toward supporting the village of Thankane, which organisers had identified as facing a number of challenges in education, health and accommodation for civil servants.
He said the fiesta aimed to help address the needs of civil servants in the village and for learners to have adequate facilities.
Speaking on behalf of chief sponsor Barloworld, Derick Musa said the tournament had grown beyond its original focus on men's football since its inception, with women's soccer teams now also taking part.
He framed the tournament as more than a competition, describing it as a platform for player development, encouraging participating clubs to use the fiesta as a chance to birth new players who did not feature the previous season.
Musa added that Barloworld's support extended beyond football to sports development more broadly, with the aim of creating alternative career pathways for young people with an interest in sport.
One of the team representatives, Mochudi Centre Chiefs assistant coach Alex Malete echoed the value of the fiesta as a chance to sharpen up before the season, calling for team cohesion and the integration of new signings with established players as top priority at the moment.
Malete added that the tournament would also give newer players valuable game time, offered supporters some early season action, and allowed teams to work out and correct mistakes before the league could get underway.
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