—Naughty Boys, Lerotholi Polytechnic relegated to B Division
Leemisa Thuseho
THE curtain fell on the 2024/25 A Division League season on Sunday, with Members FC emerging victorious in the Southern Stream.
This after the team secured a 1-0 win over Swallows at Mazenod Ground, finishing the league on 36 points and sealing their promotion to the Premier League.
Qoaling Highlanders, who were neck-and-neck with Members in the title race, finished second with 35 points.
Joining Members in the Premier League next season will be Maroala FC, who won the Northern Stream campaign last month with 43 points.
Members’ breakthrough is a testament to the coaching skills of Ntlaloe Ntlaloe, who has now led two teams to Premier League promotion, the first being his former club Limkokwing University (LU) FC in the 2022/23 season.
Ntlaloe joined Members in September 2024, after leaving LU earlier that year.
Speaking to Lesotho Times this week, Ntlaloe said that the Members management did not put him under any pressure to achieve promotion, and he was able to maintain the team’s strong performance until the final day.
He credited the players’ dedication and the support of his entire staff for the successful campaign.
“I feel very proud that under my guidance the team has secured the promotion,” Ntlaloe said.
“With this being my second time to take a team to the premier league, I can say with Members the work was not that much because I was focusing only on coaching. Conversely, at LU it was hectic because I was doing everything including administration duties.”
Ntlaloe says since most players in the Members squad are still young, there is a bright future ahead for the team.
However, he also acknowledges that they will need to bring in about five experienced players to strike a balance in the team as they prepare for the Premier League.
Meanwhile, the 2023 Nedbank A Division League Top 8 champions, Members, are set to face off against the Northern Stream champions, Maroala, in the Nedbank Champion of Champions clash later this year.
Coach Ntlaloe expressed the team’s desire to win both competitions, with the prize money helping them prepare for their upcoming debut in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Naughty Boys have been relegated from the A Division League to the B Division after finishing bottom of the Southern Stream with 12 points from 18 games. Similarly, Lerotholi Polytechnic FC has also been relegated from the Northern Stream after finishing last with 12 points.
