Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
ALL is not well for Eastern Region Division One (women) as affiliate football clubs are facing enormous challenges to meet expenses related to the running of the teams, with some of them failing to regularly fulfil fixtures.
Ten teams are affiliated to the league.
Shine Shine Queens, Sheckon Stars FC, Mutare Queens FC, Eastern Queens FC, Rufaro Starlet Queens, Red Buffaloes Queens, Vengere Juniors FC, Eastvile Queens FC, Passion Academy Queens FC and Masvingo Queens make up the list of the teams in the league.
Of the 10 teams, only one – Sheckon Stars – have played four league matches, while four others – Shine Shine Queens, Mutare Queens, Eastern Queens and Passion Academy Queens have played three rounds of league matches.
Rufaro Starlet Queens, Vengere Juniors FC, Eastvile Queens and Masvingo Queens have played one league match each.
Red Buffaloes Queens have not kicked the ball since the start of the season.
Eastern Region women football leader, Marry Muzvidziwa, has revealed that teams in the league are struggling to fulfil fixtures due to financial challenges.
Her admission highlights the difficulties faced by women’s football teams in the region that often rely on limited resources and funding.
“I think it is clear to everyone who follows women’s football in the region that our teams have been struggling to fulfil fixtures because we do not have sponsorship. At times, we are forced to let a team play two fixtures, on Saturday and Sunday when they manage to travel so that we reduce the expenses of that very team travelling again to the same venue.
“This is a challenge that we have been facing as a league. The issue of transport costs is another challenge. We have teams that are based far apart, like Chatsworth to Mutare. They do not have the financial resources to fulfil fixtures,” said Muzvidziwa.
Only last week, ZIFA board member, Tafadzwa Benza, came to the rescue of Mutare-based Sheckon Stars when he donated a football kit and balls that were handed over to the team by Eastern Region board members – chairman, Simba Wisdom and his secretary-general, Benjamin Chindima.
Wisdom urged the girls to take the sport seriously as this might provide a platform for them to take their talents to greater heights.
“We are grateful to the people running the Sheckon Stars project for giving you a platform to showcase your talents. You never know, this might be the springboard to take you to a higher level in your lives. Therefore, we urge you to take the sport seriously, and that is the only way to thank those who make it possible for you to come together as a team,” said Wisdom.
Chindima weighed in, saying: “We really want to thank ZIFA board member, Tafadzwa Benza, who made this donation. This is just the start of much bigger things to come. It is my sincere hope that this will inspire you to perform better on the pitch, so that the people making these donations will be motivated to do more.”
