Blue Boys get ready for top flight 

Swakopmund-based Blue Boys Football Club recently kicked off pre-season preparations in earnest following their newfound topflight status.

The club was upgraded from Southern Stream First Division (SSFD) runners-up to substitutes for their nemesis Namibia Correctional Services (NCS), who are ineligible for promotion despite winning their stream.

According to the Namibia Football Association (NFA), the NCS share a common owner with Namibia Premier Football League (NPFL) side Khomas Nampol, which clashes with competition regulations.

Following the NFA’s pronouncement, Blue Boys FC have assembled current and prospective players for pre-season training, the club’s interim chairperson, Elton Katangolo, says.

Their fortuitous route to the NPFL does not mean Blue Boys will struggle in the elite division.

“Those thinking that Blue Boys FC will just add numbers are sorely mistaken. We are a very competitive team who just lost two matches in the 2023/24 SSFD against NCS and Dates FC,” Katangolo says of his side’s credentials.

Founded in 1958, Blue Boys FC have twice been in the country’s top flight football league but eventually went back down.

They are determined to be a force to be reckoned with in the new season. Katangolo believes the competitive nature of the SSFD has prepared them for life in the NPFL.

“We are a very young, agile outfit and all we need in preparation for the NPFL campaign is to add experience and enough ammunition to retain our place in the league,” emphasises Katangolo.

He says the anticipated extraordinary annual general meeting (AGM) scheduled for last week has now been postponed to include the NPFL promotion.

“As the interim management, we are obligated to give feedback on the past football season and plans for the upcoming football league. Following the NFA’s pronouncement, we have held meetings and consultations with the community elders who in turn advised us to reschedule the extraordinary AGM to carefully plan for the new challenge,” says Katangolo.

“It was decided to retain the interim management but invitations have also been extended to those interested persons to avail themselves. Blue Boys FC is a community club, thus we want everybody to have their voices heard and also invite sponsors to come on board,” says Katangolo, who is open to serving on the new executive.

The players, management, and supporters are excited and upbeat following the news on the Mondesa team’s promotion to the elite league.

“We have to rededicate and re-strategise our mission by ensuring that we mobilise enough resources to sign up potential players who can withstand any avalanche and remain intact against any odds.”