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First, there was a star sprinter, who established Botswana on the sporting map by winning the top medal in the 200-meter at the international games. Presently, comes Gaborone United Ladies, who became the country’s football team to win a regional trophy and prepare to create history by taking part in the elite tournament soon.

Historic Accomplishment

Gaborone United claimed the Cosafa Women’s Champions League Cup after defeating opponents from Zambia Zesco Ndola Girls in a shootout following a even draw in August. Their success ensures they will represent the southern zone at the elite CAF Champions League event.

“This is a tremendous achievement for the nation of Botswana. It is our maiden major cup. Not a single team, whether at age group or adult level, been able to bring a cup back,” stated the team's coach.

Rapid Ascent

Gaborone United are back-to-back Botswana Women’s Championship winners, and their journey has been impressive. Advanced to the top league in 2023, they placed second that year, won the title in the following year, and then pushed themselves to both win again but better their own records in the current campaign.

“In the prior season we had a single draw in the league and our scoring statistics were not that superb,” Monene notes. “Now, we sat down and said, let’s see how we can enhance the statistics. After the end of the season, we discovered that we shattered all the records.”

Impressive Season

United won all 14 fixtures in the latest league and scored over sixty goals, noticeably more than runners-up Double Action (35) and let in only a mere three. They transferred that goalscoring form into the African playoffs, registering 11 times in three matches and four in the elimination rounds.

The team's offensive efforts were driven by striker Gaonyadiwe Ontlametse, who scored seven times in four matches, including five against Lesotho’s Kick4Life. “She’s an individual whose capabilities are outstanding so she can score from all angles,” Monene commented. “She has speed, she has aggression and is a excellent finisher.”

Upcoming Challenges

He warns, that all that may not be enough when the team reaches the Champions League and encounters stronger opposition. At the time of writing, five of the 8 teams in the tournament have been announced, including title holders TP Mazembe, AS FAR, and 2 teams from the UNAF region.

“An area she should improve is that she’s a player that doesn’t want to play without the ball,” Monene says. “So sometimes when we face a team where we are required to defend more, she may have difficulties.”

Player Response

Ontlametse commented that while it’s true she likes to play when going for goal, she is prepared to make changes if needed: “I prefer attacking football but I also understand that at the top stage you must adjust. In the Champions League, games are strategic, and if that means giving up a bit of my attacking freedom for the good of the team, I am prepared.”

Impressive Streak

Based on the performance is anything to go by, the other members of the United Ladies squad seem to share the same way. They are without a loss in a long time, and the last time they were defeated a match was at the previous CAF Champions League Cosafa qualifiers when they fell 9-8 against the University of the Western Cape in the decider.

“It was just so almost then,” Monene recalls. “That could have been so painful to get to another final and lose, particularly as it was my third consecutive in a row.”

Managerial Experience

The coach describes himself “a coach that is very focused, who’s very passionate and who’s eager to work with players” and boasts the results to back it up. In addition to his role at United Ladies, he also runs the Future Stars Academy, which trains young men between the ages of 9 and 20 and has supplied more than thirty players to the Botswana male Premier League.

Organization Structure

Monene also has the backing of the framework in the national football to aid. Though the league as a whole is amateur, Gaborone United, owned by entrepreneur and professional Nicholas Zakhem, have a men’s and women’s team and are advancing.

“Our club has moved away from a completely amateur setup to one that provides regular player salaries and incentives,” said the club’s general manager. “Currently not yet at the level of the continent’s biggest clubs but we are focused on scaling up gradually each year.”

Countrywide Football Progress

The club hope others in the country will do the same 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 fifty-four countries on the African continent in terms of population but it punches well above its weight.

Botswana's women’s side have competed in the previous two Afcons and made it to the last eight on their debut appearance in that year, while their male team will appear at the Cup of Nations for the first occasion since 2012 this year. Now, they also have a domestic side in the CAF Champions League.