A few weeks ago, I opined that “development debt always comes due.” It appears the bill has finally arrived in Botswana football.
In its desperate attempt to pay that debt, the BFA has bulldozed through the lower leagues, starting with the National First Division, pushing them towards becoming development leagues.
A similar move was reportedly touted for the Premier League, but that appears to have been reversed. Perhaps the BPL are no pushovers and have greater autonomy over their own affairs than the regional leagues.
They might have told the BFA, “We are serious here; out with your jokes.”
The new policy dictates that National First Division teams should have at least one U20 player and two U23 players.
At regional level, the approach has been even more brutal, with U17 players being introduced into senior competitions. These are, in many cases, still schoolchildren.
This is not a development pathway. It’s development desperation.
School-going players should have properly structured school and youth competitions designed around their development, where they can make mistakes, learn, compete against their peers and gradually progress through the age groups.
Throwing them into senior football simply to satisfy a quota does not automatically develop them.
Some teams are already struggling to comply, while others are putting young players on the pitch simply to meet the requirement rather than as part of a deliberate development plan. That is the problem with confusing participation with development. Player development must be intentional. It requires a pathway, appropriate competition, coaching, game time, monitoring and progression.
They are good enough to play senior football, but they cannot consistently break into starting XIs. They sit on benches, train every week and then are expected to be competitive at international level.
And this is precisely why the U21 league is long overdue.
There is a significant gap between youth football and senior football in Botswana. A properly structured U21 league would provide that missing bridge. It would give players who have graduated from youth football a competitive environment in which to sharpen their skills before making the jump into senior football.
Look at our national U23 team. It is increasingly populated by talented Premier League players who are simply not getting enough minutes at their clubs.
They are good enough to play senior football, but they cannot consistently break into starting XIs. They sit on benches, train every week and then are expected to be competitive at international level.
Where are they supposed to develop their match sharpness?
The answer should not always be to throw a U17 into a National First Division match. Nor should it be to leave a talented 20-year-old on a Premier League bench for an entire season. We need a deliberate progression.
The U21 league would not be a dumping ground for young players.
It should be a competitive bridge into senior football, with proper coaching, meaningful competition and clear pathways into first-team football. Botswana has accumulated a significant development debt.
But we cannot pay that debt by simply putting younger players into older competitions. Playing young players is not the same as developing young players.
The BFA needs to stop chasing age quotas and start building development pathways. The U21 league is long overdue.
