dyton mupawaenda
HERENTALS Queens made their debut appearance in the CAF Women’s Champions League Cosafa qualifiers in Blantyre, Malawi yesterday and got their campaign off to a flying start as they won 3-1 following a dominant display.
The only disappointment for them is that they conceded a goal right at the end of the match as a clean sheet would have been even more exciting for them.
While they are not under pressure to win the contest’s sole available ticket and accompany defending African champions Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa to the final tournament later this year, they also want to maximise on the opportunity.
They might not get another chance to qualify for the prestigious tournament and hence they will be hoping to secure the ticket that is at stake right now.
Herentals Queens have become heavyweights on the domestic scene but they are aware that there will be pressure from other teams now that all Premier Soccer League teams will be obliged to have a women team.
It also means they will no longer be the team of choice as had been the case when only a few PSL clubs had women teams.
The women’s game has been neglected for many, many years in Zimbabwe and the different sets of Zifa leadership has committed the same offence of ignoring the plight of the women’s league even though the Mighty Warriors had become a brand.
It is sad that most of the Zifa executives over the past decade have been accused of diverting funds that would have been disbursed by world soccer governing body, Fifa for women football to fund unrelated activities.
As a result, only a few male clubs with decent corporate support have tried to run women teams together with the uniformed forces, who take sport seriously for both males and females.
Lack of funding affects every aspect of the game and hence the local game has been at the level of social football.
And when a team like Herentals Queens performs like they did yesterday, there is a wrong impression that all is well in the domestic league.
It then comes as a huge relief that the Women Super League will unveil a historic US$320 000 sponsorship package from Prophet Walter Magaya’s Heart Group of companies tonight. It is a massive deal that should transform the women’s game and possibly usher a new era of corporate support.
All things being equal, clubs will now be able to invest more into the state of the game and create a solid foundation for a much better league next year when more teams join the fold.
The season is already halfway through but if the new sponsorship helps change the landscape, it might as well open up the Women Soccer League for more corporate partnerships which they deserve.
Women’s football has been neglected for far too long!
Online Reporter