Jobs for female soccer players

Sisasenkosi Ncube
BULAWAYO businessman David Moyo has offered Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) Southern Region womenaï¿½ï¿½s football outfit, Street Setaï¿½ï¿½s players jobs in a bid to counter lack of sponsorship for the girl child in the sport.

Moyo, who owns Injabulo Supermarkets around Bulawayo, Matabeleland and a milling company, said the jobs were going to cater for every member in the team regardless of their qualifications.

aï¿½?Itaï¿½ï¿½s sad that the girls playing football are getting nothing unlike their male counterparts who get paid and use the sport as a source of their livelihood. That is why I have decided to offer the girls jobs in my shops so that they can at least get something while they continue playing football,aï¿½? said Moyo.

He added that, some of the girls who go to school struggle with their fees, so they were going to engage their parents and see where they could help.

aï¿½?We have been supplying the team with kits, food and transport for the past one year, but the girls were not getting any incentives because the league itself has no sponsor,aï¿½? Moyo said.

Moyoaï¿½ï¿½s initiative has been welcomed by womenaï¿½ï¿½s football chairperson Takundwa Chimundiya who said it would go a long way in encouraging the girl child to be dedicated in the sport.

aï¿½?Teams in our league donaï¿½ï¿½t pay their players due to lack of sponsorship which has always been the case with girlsaï¿½ï¿½ soccer in the country anyway.

aï¿½?What Moyo is doing will revive the sport which has been crippled by lack of attention from the corporate world and has seen some of the best talent in our league moving to South Africa,aï¿½? said Chimundiya.

Moyo, who will also be taking girlsaï¿½ï¿½ soccer to Gwanda for a tournament whose dates are still yet to be announced, said his vision was not only to benefit Street Set, but also to spread the sport in the outskirts of Matabeleland.