Botswana Premier League

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The Botswana Premier League is the highest level football league in Botswana. Organised by the Botswana Football Association, the league was formed in 1978 to replace the pre-independence Bechuanaland Union African Soccer League, which was regional.^[1] Participants in the first edition of the league included Tlokweng Pirates, Notwane, Black Peril, Queens Park Rangers and a team from Ngwaketse district.^[1]

The league has always been dominated by the teams that are based south of Dibete or in the southern part of the country. In the 2006–07 season, Ecco City Greens made history by becoming the first team from the north to lift the lucrative competition. The league is sponsored by a mobile phone operator Be Mobile to the tune of 30 million pula. After the ABSA premiership in South Africa, the Be Mobile league is the second highest sponsored league in the COSAFA region. The league has continued to grow in leaps and bounds as shown by the increasing number of foreign players in the BPL. Some top players from mainly Zimbabwe like Arnold Chaka, Master Masitara, Elvis Meleka, Mandla Sibanda, Sageby Sandaka and Tendai Ndoro have ditched the Zimbabwean PSL for the BPL in recent years. Recently Namibian stars like Jerome Luis and Benson Shilongo arrived in Botswana in search of the Pula. After terminating their television deal with a South African company RP Productions, the league is now negotiating a long-term deal with Supersport International. In early 2013, the pay TV shown five BPL games on a testing basis.^{[citation needed]}

The Botswana Football League as of July 2023 announced plans to reduce the amount of teams from 16 to 12.^[2] In the 2023–24 season, 4 teams will be relegated with only 2 promoting. The following season, 2024–25, the same will be applied which leaves 12 teams in the Botswana Premier League. The main given reason is the contricted resources.