Samukeliso Silengane
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Women’s Soccer League has been operating for years without a registered constitution as stipulated by local football statutes.
This emerged during an all-stakeholders’ football indaba for the Eastern Region held in Masvingo last Saturday.
The meeting, which was called by the recently elected women’s football leadership chaired by Rosemary Kanonge, resolved to immediately look into the constitution issue and make amendments before the document is taken to the Zifa assembly for ratification and endorsement.
Also in attendance at the Masvingo meeting was Kanonge’s deputy Samukeliso Silengane, board member competitions Samukeliso Ndlovu, board member finance Barbra Chikosi, Luckmore Marufu and a Bulawayo businesswoman believed to have been co-opted into the new leadership.
“Women’s football has been using a draft constitution for a long time and it’s not good for the game. We need to have a proper constitution, take it to the women’s council meeting for additions or subtractions and then finally present it to the supreme football body in the country, the Zifa assembly, for ratification. As women’s football leadership, we are committed to bringing normalcy to our football and adherence to good corporate governance,” said Silengane.
She said the visit to the Eastern Region was part of the new committee’s programme of visiting various partners in the regions to get an appreciation of the challenges they are facing. Their next visit will be to the Central Region.
“This is a new committee, which can’t just work without meeting the people on the ground. The Masvingo meeting was very fruitful, with delegates coming up with sound suggestions. It was also agreed that there is need to regularise club and player registration as we move towards total professionalisation of Zimbabwean football,” Silengane said.
The meeting also agreed that clubs should engage qualified coaches and also have functional bank accounts, especially in view of the anticipated financial support from Fifa which has drawn up a number of support programmes for women’s football.
In total, there are nine different types of programmes to choose from focusing on four main areas of football development — competitions, management, education and promotion.
This includes the Live Your Goals campaign launched in 2011 to inspire more young girls and women to get involved in football.
@skhumoyo2000