Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Zimbabwe Women’s Premier Soccer League will give its champions the royal treatment they’ve been denied for years.
Herentals Queens, who have ruled the league for four straight seasons, will finally step onto a real podium, lift a real trophy and enjoy a crowning ceremony that actually feels like a championship.
Herentals won their first three league titles without anything close to a proper send-off.
No glitter, no fanfare, no big stage.
The low point came in 2023, when the league failed to provide an official trophy and Herentals were left to honour themselves.
That season, the club’s leadership stepped in and handed Herentals Queens a trophy they sourced for their team. Confusion followed, fans were stunned and the incident became a running joke about how women’s football was being treated.
A champion side lifting a self-funded trophy summed up the embarrassment the league should never have allowed.
That chapter ends tomorrow.
The league has organised a full coronation event at Gwanzura, complete with a proper trophy handover. Herentals Queens walk into the ceremony as confirmed champions with 74 points.
Correctional Queens trail on 67 and Black Rhinos on 65, so the gap is too big to close even if Herentals lose their last match.
The final league game between Herentals and Black Rhinos will act as the curtain raiser to the celebrations. The title is already sealed, but the day is set up for theatre, noise, colour and a long overdue celebration of the women’s game.
ZWPSL chairperson Chido Chizondo said the league wants to restore dignity and pride to a competition that has struggled for years.
“The coronation ceremony will play a vital role in enhancing the aesthetics of the league,” she said.
“We want to rekindle the competitiveness that we used to have in the league and one of the ways to do so is by celebrating the winners.
“This will also instil confidence in our stakeholders that the ZWPSL is here to stay and that recognising our champions is the epitome of championship and one of our major responsibilities.”
Stakeholders have been invited and schools are expected to bring young girls to watch the champions rise. The league wants the moment to inspire the next generation and send a message that the women’s game is stepping up.
Chizondo said this coronation marks a fresh start. The league has been battling financial challenges, but she believes taking care of the basics is a powerful step forward. “Our focus in the final days of the year will be on the small yet impactful aspects that contribute to the game’s growth,” she said. “In any elite league or even the divisions, celebrating championship is a norm, so this is our way of trying to professionalise ours and making sure we match other leagues’ standards.”
She added that the ZWPSL leadership is working on new structures that will carry the league into a stronger future, with a strategic planning meeting already lined up ahead of the 2026 season.
“We are trying to come up with a structure that instills confidence in our partners and potential partners,” she said.
“It will serve as the blueprint for this tenure and future endeavours and it will fall on the backdrop of the launch of the ZIFA Women’s Football Strategy to ensure its complete alignment from elite level to development.”
