ZWSL coaches fret over season's late kick-off

Patience Muchemwa

Zimbabwe Women Super League are in a fix over the delay in the release of fixture dates for the new season, Zim Now has learnt.

This comes as some ZWSL clubs are losing players who are opting for better options that bring food to their table.

Besides, the league has no sponsorship.

In an interview with Zim Now, ZRP Harare Queens assistant coach Terrence Kambuwa said the pre-season is now taking too long and is frustrating the whole process.

“In football pre-season should be between six and eight weeks and you will be preparing the players for the next season, in this case you cannot plan properly because the eight weeks has already lapsed we are continuing in the pre-season mode and psychologically, it really affects players because they love playing football more than training.

“Some are even going to look of better things which earn them money because mostly, we pay our players as they play now that they are not playing things are not well with them financially.”

Correctional Queens FC, Choice Dambuza said training without knowing the kick-off dates its really affecting players’ focus.

“That's a tough situation to be in! The uncertainty is frustrating for the team. Without knowing when the season will start, it can be hard to stay motivated and focused. Planning will be also become difficult.”

Despite the frustrations and loss of focus, Dambuza also takes the delay as an advantage to put her house in order with the players.

“However, there are still things that I am doing for the meantime for the team, focusing on physical and mental fitness, holding regular team meetings to discuss tactics and strategies for the upcoming season, staying connected with the fans. Even though the dates are not yet confirmed, we continue to work on building team spirit and camaraderie.”

Zifa Technical Director, Jethro Hunidzarira confirmed that FIFA is pouring in funds for the development of women football but it seems the ZWSL is still facing challenges in running the league.

Other teams in the league are being run by unqualified coaches, which is also a poor management of the league.

Despite financial challenges, the league should start attracting sponsors.

For Zimbabwe, sport is being taken part time, which is different from other countries where sport is a career and a full time job.