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Raymond Jaravaza . .
THE PREMIER Soccer League has finally taken the first step to swim with the tide and not against it by proposing to align the local league calendar with other international leagues.
For years the PSL calendar was on the opposite side of the clock with leagues around the world kicking off from August to May while the local season commences in March to November.
B-Metro Sport looks at the pros and cons of aligning the local league calendar with the rest (or at least the majority) of football nations around the world.
The pros:
It will make it easier for local clubs to arrange pre-season tours or friendly matches with teams from neighbouring countries before the start of every season.
“South Africa, Zambia and Botswana have leagues that are aligned with the rest of the world so it will be easier for our teams to play the likes of Orlando Pirates, Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs (SA) and Buildcon (Zambia) before our season kicks off.
“Playing against those teams will give local players the much needed experience when they meet other African teams in the Caf Champions League,” said broadcaster Muziwethu Hadebe.
As it stands the local league programme is not in tandem with other Fifa competitions.
“Zifa, working hand in hand with the PSL, will have ample time to plan friendly matches for the national teams, for instance, during the Fifa international week,” he said.
The cons:
Aligning the local calendar with modern leagues will not be a walk in the park.
Zimbabwean football has its fair share of problems that cannot be wished away or solved in the blink of an eye.
Drainage systems in local stadiums leave a lot to be desired.
“Our stadiums have very poor systems and at the peak of the rainy season most pitches will be waterlogged so it remains to be seen what contingency plans the PSL will put in place. One option will be for games to be played well into the month of December just like how it’s done in the English Premier League,” added Hadebe, who has had stints as an analyst on SuperSport.
He is also sportscaster with local radio station StarFM.
EPL games are played even on 26 December (Boxing Day), a typical holiday in Zimbabwe where soccer followers might choose to spend the day with their families instead of watching local football at a stadium.
Local football fans are known to be avid followers of English and South African football.
Presented with a choice between watching EPL games on television or making their way to stadiums, what will fans opt for?
“It’s all about how the PSL packages local football to entice supporters into stadiums and keep attendance figures respectable because it’s an open secret that we will be competing with the EPL and Absa Premiership,” he said.
From next year, the local top-flight season will start in August and end in May.
derick.khumalo