SPORTING CODES UNIONS SHOULD BE FORMED TO WORK AT LEVEL OF THE PLAYING FIELD

The events happening in the country’s sports makes one wonder if the sportspersons themselves are too scared or threatened to protect their liveli hood and their professions.

Football players have been blocked by teams to go outside the country. We have had top boxers in Lesley Sekotswe, the Setlalekgosi brothers, Thuso Khubamang and many more who were left in limbo. In football we have retired players who plied their trade outside in professional leagues. There have been tennis players who were actually on BNSC scholarships. These are sportspersons who can definitely initiate a movement for the formation of sports unions.

In most cases, labour unions are born out of unfair working conditions and inadequate wages for employees. Given today’s glitzy, millionaire athletes, it’s often forgotten that the pioneers of our favourite sports leagues were victims of harsh bosses, tough expectations and unbalanced wages.

Non-unionized athletes were treated as pieces of furniture to be moved at the owner’s whim as they had no rights to pensions, healthcare benefits or even lunch money for road games. Today’s pro athletes enjoy all these perks, while conducting salaries that eliminate the need for any of them. In the case of the following leagues, it took the resolution of a few brave players to stand up to the owners and demand a fair share of the revenues that their top-talent provided. These are athletes who played without pensions or healthcare plans.

It was also common for pre-union players to work permanent jobs to support their families because if you get an injury or a player miss game, it was very rare to be taken care of and get paid during the time of absence, ostenably brought about by an injury incured while on the field of play .

Without healthcare plan and no income, families of athletes struggle mightily to pay the bills. Commonly after the injury, a player will not be as effective as he was before, to which the management cries “indifferent play” and cut the salary.

Such treatment should inspire all the legends to rally today’s players to form a union while they are still active. Other influential ex-players across the leagues should be successful in creating a small association of players so that the players can be able to unite in enough numbers to convince the owners to recognize their demands and not punish players for being members. With athletes becoming professional much earlier, it is important that those older players on the road to retirement have a proper pension.

Big leagues boast some of the largest salaries in all of sports, with the biggest purse being that of US Middleweight champion, Floyd Mayweather whose bout with Manny Pacquiao who grossed in the region of $300 million after the fight. Sport has long been a big business in the world and it can only take many manifestations of the Players Association to get a fair portion of the revenue paid to the players.

Starting with the brotherhood of Professional players, players should organize to increase their salaries and, most importantly, end the reserve clause that essentially gives owners the right to control where players could play. The reserve rule is being used as, a handle for the manipulation of a traffic in players, a sort of speculation in livestock, by which they are bought, sold and transferred like so many sheep.

Technically, there isn’t actually a union for players at the moment, as on the surface, it is millionaires fighting poor sportsmen over a share of thousands in revenue.

With players taking action, the fans will be more aware than ever of the labour conflicts that can spoil a sport. Before these players’ union, players were in most cases not paid for missing a game with an injury. Players are responsible for maintaining their uniforms and equipment, and they do not receive any money when traveling. Players across the leagues who should get on board, including legends such as Dipsy Selolwane, Khubamang, Amantle Montsho and the likes of Mpho Kelosiwang. The players will successfully invigorate the leagues to address their grievances, as well as establish an official minimum salary and a pension plan. The pioneers of these leagues should put a contest for their powerful millionaire bosses and risk their professional careers to ensure that future players in these leagues would be well compensated and cared for beyond their playing careers.

ORANGE PHIKWE MARATHON IS CALLING AGAIN.

Botswana’s fastest mobile network continues its ommitment to the growth of local athletics in Botswana and Orange Botswana hopes to register over 2000 participants this year.

Botswana’s fastest mobile network, Orange Botswana local sport through the sponsorship of the Selebi-Phikwe Marathon. This sponsorship is in partnership with the Selebi-Phikwe Town Council and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and has been running since 2016. The 2023 edition will be supported with an investment of over P350,000.00 including marketing and publicity. Said Orange Botswana Acting CEO, Maano Masisi , “At Orange Botswana we believe in sport’s unique ability to unite and gather people from various backgrounds whether through football, athletics or any other sporting code. It is through this event that we hope to uplift the community and instil a strong sense of unity amongst the residents of Selebi-Phikwe, as we all come together for health and wellness.“

This year, the marathon is slated for the 29 th July 2023 , both the starting and finishing line at theSelebi-Phikwe Sam Sono Stadium. The marathon is expected to attract a global community of national, regional and international runners, from the social, amateur and professional ranges. Participants and those wishing to register can choose from a selection of four races which are:

• 5 km Fun Run registered at P200 per person

• 10 km Run registered at P250 per person

• 21.1 km Half Marathon registered at P300 per person

• and 42.2 km Marathon registered at P350 per person

“We take great pride in the partnerships we have developed with various stakeholders over the years and hope that through the revenue generated from the marathon, there will be more community development and investments for the community of Selebi Phikwe and beyond. We value our partner’s contributions and are looking forward to more collaborations in the next installment of the marathon.” Masisi.

This 2023 edition of the Orange Phikwe National Marathon is expected to be additionally exciting and exhilarating, with a an even more optimized runners experience as we are anticipating seeing new faces participating and supporting the race. Registrations will be open from 15 th March 2023 and interested participants can register online at www.phikwemarathon.co.bw

It is important that we work together to attract the kind of support that capitalises on local talent and potential so that our athletes can represent our country proudly in other international competitions,” concluded Masisi.

Regarding the over view of the marathon, Omphemetse Makwate says this is the oldest marathon in the history of this country because it has been taking place in Selibe Phikwe since the year 1985 and this year it is thirty six years old. Formerly known as Bosele Marathon, it started as a fun run and grew from heights to heights and from strength to strength until it became Selebi Phikwe National Marathon, accredited and sanctioned by the national athletics governing body (Botswana Athletics Association) and duly recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) to be used as one of the qualifying races for other major regional and international competitions such as the All Africa Games, Commonwealth, Olympic Games and many more others.

For his part Selibe Phikwe Town Mayor Honourable Lucas Modimana says they are delighted to partner with Orange Botswana in creating shared value for our community, against an economic depression in the region. The relationship comes from some time back in 2016 and we intend to keep this relationship. This initiative will and continues to have an impact of mutual benefits for Ornage Botswana and SPTC. “It is common knowledge now that Selebi Phikwe has been hard hit since the closure of the BCL mine in 2016, resulting in lack of activity and the usual vibe, followed by the covid 19 scourge which also limited a lot of activities. However in 2022, to the anticipation by marathon fanatics and fun lovers the Orange Phikwe National marathon returned. This will be the second edition after the covid 19 scare, everyone is anxious and ready”. He continued.

He says the excitement is welcome as the Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are much alive then, as a Town Council it brings us joy to see the small business boosted and growing, bo mmaseapei, ba di airtime, they wish that the athletes and associated businesses and stakeholders can continue to support and as such buy lunch, snacks, airtime, drinks from our people, so that they also can have a feel of this marathon. For example, on those two days, let mma seapei make double the profit or even triple of what they normally make. Modimana says this boost in economy is not or should be felt by the Informal sector, the transport and hospitality industries also benefit.

About Orange

Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 42.3 billion euros in 2020 and 142,000 employees worldwide at 31 December 2020, including 82,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 259 million customers worldwide at 31 December 2020, including 214 million mobile customers and 22 million fixed broadband customers.

The Group is present in 26 countries. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the brand Orange Business Services. In December 2019, the Group presented its new ‘Engage’ strategic plan, which, guided by social and environmental accountability, aims to reinvent its operator model.

Whileaccelerating in growth areas and placing data and AI at the heart of its innovation model, theGroup will be an attractive and responsible employer, adapted to emerging professions.

Questions and answers with Stanbic Bank Botswana Head of Brands and Marketing, Stephanie Sandridge about how they go about Sponsorships

Q. Give us reasons why Stanbic Bank has been successful in sponsoring these sporting events and teams like football, cycling, golf and now Gaborone Diacore Marathon. How do you manage to do this all?

A. Our sponsorship strategy aims to ensure our portfolio delivers on building our brand and reputation, is aligned to our clients’ passion points, and contributes positively to the communities in which we operate. Therefore, we select sponsorship properties and activities based on sound and carefully considered marketing and business principles. Our sponsorship portfolio aids in differentiating our brand which also helps us get closer to our clients and stakeholders.

Our sponsorship focus areas are across Arts and Culture (performing and visual arts), Sports (team, tournaments, and events) and Strategic Business Seminars (Thought Leadership Platforms). For a large part, our focus has been predominately in the Sport and Business Seminar space. As you have highlighted above, we are in football; cycling; running and most recently golf; and the question is, how do we manage it all? With a concerted strategy and planning, and the dedication of our teams across the Bank, in different areas of Botswana, we manage, and ensure we make the experiences meaningful and worthwhile for those involved. And further to this, the question is how can we not? Supporting our beloved sportsmen and women; and the sporting industry to get back on its feet, post COVID-19, is a collective effort.

Q. Usually, who is your target audience and what type of activities are most appealing to you when sponsoring events of this magnitude?

A. We go where our clients’ passion points lie. And our clients cut across Corporate, Business, SMEs and the everyday Motswana at home. When we start engaging with a prospective partner; we look for a common purpose or shared ambitions, mostly with the intention of improving the lives of Batswana. Our sponsorships and supporting events or activities must align with our client’s values, and passion and at the end of the day, support in driving Botswana’s growth.

Our goals include:

-Manifesting our brand promise, ‘of finding new ways of making dreams possible’, through our sponsorship partnerships.

-Creating platforms for existing and new clients to engage with content, solutions, and other