Mikia Kalati
LDF ladies team beat FC Stoko 3-nil in the Women Super league Top 4 final in Maputsoe on Sunday to complete the double just two weeks after winning the league championship.
LDF booked their spot in the final by hammering Kick4Life 5-1 and FC Stoko thumped Sky Battalion 3-0 in the other semi-final.
Women Super League Committee president, Chris Bullock, was fulsome in his praise for LDF, telling this publication that they fully deserved their success this season.
“For the most part of the season, it was a tight race between LDF and Kick4Life and it looked like it will go right to the end of the season,” Bullock said.
“I think the loss of key players by Kick4Life gave LDF the edge in the latter stages of the season. So it is very fair to say that although most teams have improved and become stronger, LDF lead the way having won both the league championship and Top 4 tournament.”
He said the success in staging the Top 4 tournament also testified to the fact that women’s football is growing in the country.
“There were a lot of positives including the staging of the first ever Top 4 tournament. There was better media coverage and improved administration which were the main priorities for this year.
“This was to build on the hard work of the previous committee. We have drafted a strategic plan for the next three years and we will start looking to secure a sponsor for the league this week.’’
He said they would also engage the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) to provide administrators and coaches to improve the running of clubs.
He further said that he was hopeful for further growth of the league which had already produced two top players, namely, Boitumelo ‘Queen’ Rabale who captains Bloemfontein Celtic ladies in South Africa and Senate Letsie plies her trade in the United States of America.
Rabale helped Celtic win the Provincial league in the Free State for the second year running.
“Queen and Letsie are ambassadors of our women’s game with the opportunities they have been given and what they bring to our football.
“I hope it encourages more players to aspire to the same opportunities now that they have seen what is possible. We also need to ensure they are given the platform to perform.
“The successful re-introduction of the national team has played an important role in this and we now need to look at how we can improve youth development to continue producing more Queens and Senates,’’ he said.
