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| Location | Gaborone, Botswana |
|---|---|
| Owner | Botswana National Sports Council |
| Capacity | 25,000 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1965 |
| Opened | 1966 |
| Tenants | |
| Township Rollers F.C. Botswana national football team | |
The Botswana National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Gaborone, Botswana. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 25,000 people.
The pitch is surrounded by an athletics track, the stadium is coupled with a rugby venue, which has fallen into disuse, and a tennis facility.
The stadium was made up of a total of 10 stands, three of which are covered. The three large stands on each end of the stadium made up the north and south ends. The west side of the stadium is made up of three covered stands, while the east end is made up of one giant uncovered stand. After the 2016 renovations, the 3 north stands were joined together. The same was done for the 3 south stands, increasing the stadium capacity by 3 000 seats from 22 000 to 25 000. From 22 to 31 May 2014, the stadium hosted the 2nd African Youth Games, Gaborone 2014 opening and closing ceremonies as well as the track and field events. A giant screen was erected on the middle north stand in August 2014.
The stadium is home to the Botswana national football team, the Zebras. It is also currently home to Gaborone based Botswana Premier League clubs Township Rollers F.C., Gaborone United S.C. and Notwane F.C. Mochudi side, Mochudi Centre Chiefs SC also uses the ground as their home base.
Apart from sports, the stadium also hosts other events like Botswana Police Service Day and Botswana Defense Force Day, as well as Botswana Independence Celebrations. Music festivals and church services are also held at this multi-use facility.
Hitecon construction company won the tender to renovate the stadium. The purpose for renovating the National Stadium was for Botswana to accommodate some teams that were competing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The tournament was held in neighboring South Africa.
In 2008 the national stadium was closed for refurbishment with the hope that it would be used for the 2010 World Cup as a training camp for teams competing in it. This never materialized as the teams were instructed to train inside South Africa, and the stadium renovations were behind schedule. [1]
Since its closure in 2008, the stadium had turned into a white elephant as it couldn't be used for sporting activities. The Premier League and athletics were among the sports that were most affected by the unavailability of the stadium. The premier league teams which rely mostly on gate takings were hard hit as they used sadist around Gaborone which are much smaller and cannot accommodate teams with large followings, thus limiting their revenue. [1]
In June 2013, the stadium was finally handed over to the BNSC after being closed for about five years. It hosted its first activity in August 2013, where Township Rollers F.C. hosted rivals Extension Gunners in the opening match of the 2013/14 Botswana Premier League season. Gunners went on to win 1–0.
In 2016, the stadium was closed again to increase its capacity to 25 000 in anticipation of the country's 50th independence celebrations on 30 September 2016. [2]
The National Stadium is currently open and continues to host various sporting and non-sporting events.
Gaborone is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Mochudi is one of the larger villages in Botswana with a population of 44,815 people in 2011. It is situated in the Bakgatla tribal region, in Kgatleng District, about 37 km (23 mi) northeast of Gaborone. The village lies several kilometres from the main Gaborone–Francistown road, and can be accessed through a short turn at Pilane. Mochudi was settled by the Tswana people in 1871. The main attraction in Mochudi is the Phuthadikobo Museum which is perched at the top of a hill and holds a rich history of Bakgatla tribe and Batswana in general.
The FA Challenge Cup, currently known as the Orange FA Cup or Orange Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the premier club football tournament in Botswana. Started in 1968 and first played as the Lions Cup, the tournament is based on the idea of giving lower league and amateur teams a chance to compete with top flight teams. It is based on the English FA Cup, which has become known for "giant killings" (lower league teams defeating top flight.
The Botswana Premier League is the highest level football league in Botswana. Organised by the Botswana Football Association, the league was formed in 1978 to replace the pre-independence Bechuanaland Union African Soccer League, which was regional. Participants in the first edition of the league included Tlokweng Pirates, Notwane, Black Peril, Queens Park Rangers and a team from Ngwaketse district.
Mochudi Centre Chiefs Sporting Club are a professional football club based in Gaborone, Botswana, who play in the Botswana first division following their relegation from the Premier League in 2019. Centre Chiefs have won the Botswana Premier League, the highest level of Botswana football, four times. The team originates from Mochudi, a large village on the outskirts of Gaborone.
Township Rollers Football Club is a football club based in Gaborone, Botswana. Rollers are also known as Popa, The Blues or Tse Tala, the official nicknames of the club. The club is also often referred to as Mapalastina, a nickname that developed in the 1990s but has never been officially adopted by the club. Rollers is the most successful club in Botswana football history, having won more league titles and cup competitions than any other local side. It enjoys a large support base all over the country and has been called arguably the best-supported team in Botswana.
Dirang Moloi is a Motswana footballer who plays for Botswana club Gaborone United in the Botswana Premier League.
Tshepo Motlhabankwe is a former Motswana footballer who played for various Botswana Premier League teams such as Mochudi Centre Chiefs and Township Rollers as well as teams in the South African Premier Division. He is also a former Botswana international, having scored 2 goals between his debut in 2003 and retirement in 2013.
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The 2014–15 Botswana Premier League was the 38th season of the Botswana Premier League since its establishment in 1978. A total of 16 teams contested the league, with Township Rollers as the defending champions.
The 2015–16 Botswana Premier League was the 39th season of the Botswana Premier League since its establishment in 1978. Township Rollers won their 13th league title after defeating Centre Chiefs, 5–1, in the championship playoff. The playoff was announced following controversy as to who the rightful champion was following a series of point deductions and appeals. Township Rollers were docked 10 points for using ineligible player Ofentse Nato, dropping from 70 points to 60 and into second place with the decision. Following a series of appeals by both Township Rollers and Centre Chiefs, the Botswana Football Association decided to hold a championship game at the National Stadium on June 15, although the match was later postponed and played on August 11 at Molepolole Stadium in Molepolole.
The 2016–17 Botswana Premier League was the 40th season of the Botswana Premier League since its establishment in 1966. Township Rollers clinched their second straight league title and 14th overall.
The 2017–18 Mascom Top 8 Cup was the seventh edition of the Mascom Top 8 Cup. It was played from 24 November 2017 to 3 March 2018 by the top eight teams from the 2016-17 Botswana Premier League. It was won by Township Rollers.
The 2018–19 Botswana Premier League was the 42nd season of the Botswana Premier League, the top-tier football league in Botswana, since its establishment in 1978. The season started on 18 August 2018. The league drew an average attendance of 1,300 per match.
The 2013 Mascom Top 8 Cup, also known as the Mascom Top 8 Cup Season 2 for sponsorship reasons, was the second edition of the Mascom Top 8 Cup. It was played from 23 February to 18 May 2013 by the top teams from the 2011-12 Botswana Premier League. It was won by Gaborone United.
The 2019–20 Botswana Premier League was the 43rd season of the Botswana Premier League, the top-tier football league in Botswana, since its establishment in 1978. The season started on 31 August 2019.
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