01 May 2024

The annual Botswana Diamond Manufacturers Association (BDMA) football final will be held at Taung football grounds in Gaborone May 4. 

This year’s final will pit Tache against Fine Stars while Pluznic will face KGK in the losers final. 

Speaking in an interview, tournament host, Krunal Shah indicated that the tournament, which featured employees of diamond manufacturing companies in Botswana was vital to replenish employees’ productivity.

“Most of the time employees are busy at work, so time and again it is important to take them on a team building exercise to allow them to refresh and build relations among themselves, hence the tournament,” he said.

He also said the games helped in improving employees’ moral, fuel team work and teach them leadership and sportsmen spirit.

“These sporting events help the employees perform better at workplaces by developing them to become team players and prepare them to take up leadership roles within their organisations,” he said.Shah said the tournament, which started in 2018, also gave the employees an opportunity to expose their talent to professional teams.

“Even though our tournament is more social, we invite professional teams to come and identify talent because some of our employees are still young and can be groomed for a more professional setting,” he said.

Shah also said since commencement, the tournament had benefitted even community members outside the member companies.

“We have always allowed hawkers to set their stalls free of charge during such games, and this has worked well to boost the small business sector looking at the magnitude of supporters that normally throng the games,” he said. 

He said the tournament had with time, proved to be the best non-profit making tournament in Gaborone and employees of member companies appreciated it.

One of the organisers, Monica Alfred said because the tournament was much about bringing employees together, they had therefore, channeled most funds towards its organisation than teams and individual prizes.

“The tournament has been sponsored to the tune of about P80 000, but only about P15 000 will go towards teams and individual prizes,” she said and further stated that the event had been organised in the format of a family fun day with fun games for children.

The annual tournament encompasses three sporting codes in football, cricket at netball.ENDS