Also known as: Township Rollers Ladies
Township Rollers — 16-time Botswana football champions navigating rebuilding efforts amid financial crisis and player departures.
News reports
Order a long-term news report on Township Rollers
Every mention in the Botswanan press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
The Botswana Gazette
The league says the opening week provided a positive foundation despite pre-season uncertainty and an early fixture setback involving Township Rollers GAZETTE REPORTER The Botswana Football League has described the opening week of the 2026/27 FNB Premiership as encouraging, sayin …
BFL Encouraged by FNB Premiership StartDaily News Botswana
… The 25-year-old Township Rollers Ladies player sustained fatal injuries in the crash last Saturday morning and later succumbed to them, plunging the football fraternity into mourning. …
Former Mares midfielder to be buried SaturdayMmegi
… Rollers had travelled to Jwaneng with only seven players for the match, after receiving a fresh FIFA ban ahead of the opening FNB Premiership matches this past weekend.The troubled side had been slapped with a FIFA ban, barring them from registering new players as a result of unp …
Familiar incident leaves elite league embarrassed, againWeekend Post
… Beneath it lies a problem with the potential to reshape the competitive landscape: the uncertain status of Township Rollers, one of Botswana’s most decorated clubs. …
Football season delayed…Weekend Post
… Township Rollers, the 16-time Botswana Premier League champions known across southern Africa as Popa or Mapalastina, are staring down the barrel of two simultaneous FIFA disputes involving South African players; one that has already resulted in a registration ban, and another tha …
Township Rollers in trouble againBotswana Sunday Standard
… That is the story of one of Botswana’s most followed football teams Township Rollers as it seeks to build from the ruins of administrations gone by. …
More money, more problems for RollersWeekend Post
… Reigning champions Jwaneng Galaxy will meet perennial rivals Township Rollers on Saturday in the marquee match of the weekend – a clash that needs no boardroom context to carry significance. …
After Boardroom battles, BFL back on the pitchWeekend Post
Township Rollers are experiencing a surge in commercial success, securing a series of lucrative partnerships that promise to bolster the club’s financial standing ahead of the 2026/27 season. …
Rollers secure millions in new sponsorship dealsBotswana Sunday Standard
… A week ago, Township Rollers was seemingly staring down a deep black tunnel. The Blue Train, as the team is often affectionately called, was falling apart. …
Hope Tee, Bet267 Take a Punt on RollersThe Botswana Gazette
Township Rollers will receive P1 million a season for two years as Bet267 seeks a broader commercial partnership built around local football and brand value. …
Rollers Seal P2m Bet267 DealDinare defeated Black Lions 2-1 in an FNB Premiership match, with Thatayaone 'Popo' Ramatlapeng scoring both goals to keep Dinare top of the table after two rounds. Black Lions, relegated last season, equalized through Onkemetse Powe but could not hold on.
27 October 2026 · Mmegi →
Dinare defeated Black Lions 2-1 in an FNB Premiership match, with Thatayaone 'Popo' Ramatlapeng scoring both goals to keep Dinare top of the table after two rounds. Black Lions, relegated last season, equalized through Onkemetse Powe but could not hold on.
27 October 2026 · Mmegi →
Four coaches have been dismissed barely seven rounds into Botswana's new FNB Premiership season, with several others facing job insecurity. The high turnover reflects boardroom impatience driven by early results and administrative disputes, with little regard for coaches' past achievements.
27 October 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Botswana Football League upheld Township Rollers player Tebogo Mogotsi's suspension after an Extension Gunners match, finding that television footage was inconclusive on whether he received a yellow card, with match reports prevailing in the decision.
15 October 2026 · The Botswana Gazette →
Construction of a FIFA Arena Pitch with a 20m x 40m community football pitch has commenced on a desolate site behind Mafenyatlala Mall in Molepolole. The facility is intended to serve as a community safe space for over 2,000 children and young people in the surrounding area, restoring a location that once hosted a historical football ground before the mall's construction displaced the local team Molepolole Tigers.
12 October 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
Mochudi Centre Chiefs defeated Township Rollers with goals from Gilbert Baruti and Mpho Kgaswane, while Bakang Seboko scored for Rollers. The match was packaged as entertainment with cultural performances and fan choreography alongside the football.
12 October 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
Mochudi Centre Chiefs, on a four-match unbeaten league run, play Township Rollers in the Royal Encounter on Saturday night at the National Stadium, with pride and early season momentum on the line.
9 October 2026 · The Botswana Gazette →
Township Rollers and Mochudi Centre Chiefs will play at the National Stadium on Saturday in a Botswana Premier League match. Both teams are emphasizing competitive performance, with Chiefs' coach prioritizing team development and Rollers' coach describing the club as in a rebuilding phase.
9 October 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
Township Rollers has lodged a formal complaint with the Botswana Football League's acting chief executive, alleging that Mochudi Centre Chiefs flew an unauthorised drone over Rollers' closed training session at Lekidi Football Centre on Thursday morning. The complaint, which comes two days before the teams' scheduled fixture, says the device hovered over the training area between 08h00 and 09h00 and was intercepted by Rollers' security personnel.
8 October 2026 · Weekend Post →
Botswana's Top 8 football competition, which had been dormant for six years, is being revived with a new sponsor, African Hero. The BFL CEO described the return as "restoration of a proud football tradition" and "the return of the most prestigious competition in our domestic game."
8 October 2026 · Weekend Post →
Jomo Sono, the former Orlando Pirates player, watched Township Rollers beat Extension Gunners 3–0 at the National Stadium and praised the quality of Botswana's top-flight, saying the league can compete with South Africa's Premier League from number eight down. However, he warned that a generation of talent is slipping away due to lack of academies and school sport.
8 October 2026 · Weekend Post →
Mochudi Centre Chiefs face Township Rollers in week five of the Botswana Premier League on October 10 at the National Stadium. Rollers remain unbeaten in the 2026/2027 campaign but have experienced squad changes, while Chiefs seek to repeat last season's head-to-head success against their historically dominant rivals.
8 October 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
Mochudi Centre Chiefs and Township Rollers meet in a Botswana Premier League fixture on Saturday at the National Stadium at 7pm. Both teams are on four points, with Chiefs having played three matches and Rollers two, as newly appointed Chiefs coach Reneilwe Letsholonyane faces an immediate test against one of the club's biggest rivals.
5 October 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
After a six-year absence, the Mascom Top 8 tournament—once a cornerstone of local football—is being revived with African Hero as the new sponsor. The acting BFL CEO describes the return as restoring a proud tradition and beginning a new chapter in Botswana's domestic game.
28 September 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
The Top 8 tournament returned after a six-year break with a P4 million injection from African Hero, with support from BTC's P1 million pledge, aimed at restoring commercial viability and grassroots impact of local football. Minister of Sport Jacob Kelebeng called for stadiums to reclaim their former glory and fill venues to attract corporate investment.
28 September 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
Township Rollers captain Marcel Papama scored two goals in Sunday's 3-0 victory over 10-man Extension Gunners, saying the win was harder than the scoreline suggested.
23 September 2026 · The Botswana Gazette →
Township Rollers defeated Extension Gunners 3-0 at the National Stadium, with goals from Marcell Papama (two) and Onkarabile Ratanang, lifting the 16-time champions to sixth place in the FNB Premier League. The win marks progress in the club's rebuilding effort following financial and administrative crises that prompted player departures.
21 September 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
Township Rollers paid upwards of P1.2 million to resolve financial claims from three former employees—Moroccan coach Abdelaziz Karkache (P850,000), South African forward Thabiso Mokenkoane (P124,000), and Congolese midfielder Ntambwe Wafauna Djo (P111,000)—and secured the removal of a FIFA transfer ban that had disrupted the club's season.
14 September 2026 · Weekend Post →
Eight of Botswana's top football clubs will compete in the inaugural Elite Top 8 tournament with a total purse of P3.05 million, featuring a P1.5 million championship prize for the winners. Quarter-finals pit Gaborone United against Nico United, Mochudi Centre Chiefs against Morupule Wanderers, Sua Flamingos against Orapa United, and Jwaneng Galaxy against Township Rollers, with finals scheduled for 9–11 October.
13 September 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
National football team captain Thatayaone Ditlhokwe, 27, has secured a one-year contract with Jordanian club Al-Wehdat SC, continuing his professional career abroad after spells in South Africa, Libya and other leagues.
9 September 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
Township Rollers, one of Botswana's most prominent football clubs, faced debts exceeding seven million Pula, a FIFA transfer ban, and player exodus when Thapelo Pabalinga took the chair in January. The club's previous financier, Tendai Sebata, took on debts in the club's name and then disappeared, leaving bills unpaid.
7 September 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Botswana Football League described the opening week of the 2026/27 FNB Premiership as encouraging despite pre-season uncertainty and an early fixture setback involving Township Rollers, citing strong response from clubs, players, supporters and other stakeholders.
3 September 2026 · The Botswana Gazette →
Former women's national team midfielder Annah Sechane, 25, will be buried in Gathwane on Saturday after dying in a car accident in Lobatse. She had played for the Botswana national team at the 2020 COSAFA Women's Championship and 2022 WAFCON, and locally for Gaborone United and Township Rollers.
2 September 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
An FNB Premiership match between Rollers and Popa was called off minutes after kickoff when Rollers were reduced to six players following an injury, after arriving with only seven players due to a FIFA ban preventing them from registering new players over unpaid wages to former head coach Aziz Karkarche.
1 September 2026 · Mmegi →
The 2026/27 FNBB Premiership has been delayed one week from its planned August 28 start date to September 5 due to administrative disputes between the Botswana Football Association and the Botswana Football League, unresolved club licensing requirements, and an international women's tournament being staged in Botswana.
1 September 2026 · Weekend Post →
Township Rollers, the 16-time Botswana Premier League champions, is under a FIFA registration ban after failing to pay approximately R98,000 ordered by FIFA in a dispute with South African defender Thabiso Mokenkoane, whose contract was terminated last season. The ban prohibits the club from signing or registering new players domestically and internationally for up to three consecutive registration periods unless the outstanding amount is settled.
31 August 2026 · Weekend Post →
Township Rollers, despite securing sponsorships worth millions of pula to pay debts, now faces two new FIFA transfer bans effective July and August 2026, following unpaid dues to former coach Abdelaziz Karkache (P1.2 million) and other creditors.
30 August 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
The Botswana Football League released its official fixture list for the 2026/27 FNB Premiership season on Monday, clearing the way for play to resume after a turbulent off-season marked by internal governance disputes. The same week, BFL chairperson Sipho Showa survived a motion of no confidence at the league's annual general meeting, with shareholders instead introducing a rotation system for board representation.
24 August 2026 · Weekend Post →
Township Rollers have secured sponsorships including a two-year P2 million agreement with Bet267 (guaranteeing P1 million annually for 2026/27 and 2027/28), plus deals with Diadora and Options, marking a commercial turnaround for the 16-time league champions after recent financial difficulties.
17 August 2026 · Weekend Post →
Township Rollers has announced two major sponsorships: Bet267 will pay P2 million over two seasons (P1 million per season) for shirt naming rights, while Hope Tee Energy will inject P6 million over three years (P2 million per season) as main sponsor. The deals signal a shift toward sustainability for the Gaborone-based club, which recently faced player departures and debt.
16 August 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
Bet267 will sponsor Township Rollers P1 million per season for two years, bringing the total value of the agreement to P2 million.
13 August 2026 · The Botswana Gazette →