Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE Women’s Premier Soccer League (ZWPSL) stands at a troubling crossroads, a field riddled with broken promises, poor facilities, financial struggles and a constant cry for recognition.
The latest embarrassment came over the weekend when reigning champions Herentals Queens’ clash with Kwekwe United failed to kick off, exposing the deep cracks within the women’s game.
Visitors Kwekwe United refused to expose their players to injury risks by playing on the shockingly poor and unkempt pitch at Tomlinson Depot.
The ZWPSL is now preparing to make a ruling, with their decision expected to be guided by the league’s constitutional stipulations in such cases.
However, the sorry state of the Tomlinson Depot pitch is just a microcosm of the broader crisis, with most ZWPSL-approved grounds across the country in similarly appalling conditions.
The National Sports Stadium B Arena, Wagadhugu, Mkushi Depot, Vengere, and One Commando Grounds are among the many venues that paint a sorry picture.
The Zimpapers Sports Hub can reveal that the Theresa Maguraushe-led ZWPSL executive has for some time been lobbying for women’s matches to be staged at “proper” stadiums.
Suggestions were tabled for women’s matches to serve as curtain-raisers for the men’s Premier Soccer League games at standard venues such as Barbourfields, Rufaro and Ascot, among others.
However, these efforts have repeatedly hit a brick wall, blocked by financial constraints and, surprisingly, by spiritual beliefs.
With many ZWPSL teams individually owned and struggling financially, most cannot afford to hire standard stadiums.
Others have shot down the proposal altogether, citing superstitions that suggest allowing women’s games to precede men’s fixtures could bring bad luck to their male teams.
“We have tried to push for this arrangement for some time, but most clubs prefer not to have their men’s and women’s teams sharing facilities,” said Maguraushe.
“It has left us in a dilemma. Our teams are restricted to using substandard grounds, and we are bearing the brunt with injuries and a decline in the quality of our games.”
Through persistence, Platinum Royals have secured the use of Mandava Stadium, sharing the facility with their male counterparts, while Chapungu uses The Heart Stadium and Conduit Queens share Wadzanai Stadium with Simba Bhora.
But things are getting worse.
The women’s elite league continues to be strung along by broken promises, leaving Maguraushe’s executive increasingly frustrated.
Recently, Ponera Constructions announced a US$10 000 sponsorship deal intended to breathe life into the struggling league, just as the season was about to start without a sponsor.
The funds, according to Maguraushe, were earmarked for payment of match officials, a yawning gap that urgently needed to be covered.
Yet, three weeks later, the money has still not been released.
Meanwhile, troubling scenes — players packed into open trucks on matchdays, no ambulances in sight — have become synonymous with ZWPSL football.
“Things are not looking good already. You can see how much the clubs are struggling,” said Maguraushe.
“We had asked clubs to pay officials for the first two games while we waited for the sponsorship money. We were relieved when a sponsor came on board, but up to now, we haven’t received the funds.
“Clubs end up blaming us, and yes, we should give them answers. Yet here we are, stranded and unsure if anything will come through.”
Efforts by Zimpapers Sports Hub to reach Ponera Constructions for comment were unsuccessful.
Worryingly, this is not the first time ZWPSL has found itself in such a predicament. Last season, clubs reportedly never received their promised allocations from the league’s sponsorship deal with The Heart Group.
The much-anticipated inaugural Women’s Soccer Stars Awards also never materialised.
Clubs continue to feel that women’s football is not taken seriously, with grievances ranging from poor player remuneration to appalling camping conditions, even at the national team level.
Football administrator Chido Chizondo believes urgent reforms are needed if the women’s game is to thrive.
“We are underestimating our own game to the extent of abandoning inspected venues for whichever grounds a particular club prefers,” she said.
“It’s crucial for ZWPSL clubs to start treating the women’s game with the respect it deserves so that outsiders can also take us seriously.
“We must also take responsibility for the aspects we can control.”
Chizondo emphasised the need for clubs to proactively build partnerships with local authorities and PSL teams to gain access to proper stadiums.
“Building these relationships will ensure that players have access to better facilities,” she said.
“I would like to believe that the development committee has conducted thorough inspections of the selected stadiums and that things are going to change.”
