PSL urges clubs to exhibit at ZITF

Sport
The PSL will engage clubs to exhibit at next year’s Zimabwbe International Trade Fair (ZITF), following an interaction with football fans at this year’s business showcase

The Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL) will engage clubs to exhibit at next year’s Zimabwbe International Trade Fair (ZITF), following an interaction with football fans at this year’s business showcase that ended at the weekend. FORTUNE MBELE SPORTS REPORTER

ElishaThis was revealed by PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele after the league showcased at the ZITF this year.

“Next time we will try and see if clubs can participate at the ZITF. It is part of our expectations that clubs should be run as businesses, commercially. That is why we have been urging clubs to implement club licensing,” he said.

“That is why individual teams get relegated and their owners are quick to blame the PSL secretariat for their misfortunes yet we emphasise day in day out that they must be self-sustaining.”

Ndebele said the ZITF was an eye-opener for the PSL as they held a number of discussions with potential partners, whom they are not at liberty to reveal yet.

“We had an interesting time and we decided as part of our strategic plan as the pride of local football, we want to be a league that transforms life and that is why we decided to engage the public at the ZITF not only with fans, but with the business community and other sporting disciplines. We wanted to learn how other businesses operate,” he said.

“We are particularly happy that the Sport, Arts and Culture minister Andrew Langa took time from his busy schedule to visit our stand.

“We are the face of Zimbabwean football and we want to remove the perception that football is disorganised.

“We were able to showcase the Independence Trophy, the championship trophy that is to be given to Dynamos who have won it three times in a row and the Mbada Diamonds Cup. We wanted to expose our partnership and attract other corporates to the league and we had a few discussions. We wanted to interact than just sit in the office, to show other corporates that we are a vehicle.”

From interactions with football fans that visited the PSL stand, Ndebele said fans wanted to know where they could access their clubs’ regalia and they would be sending that information to the clubs.

Of interest were parents who wanted to know which clubs their children could join that could help them pursue professional football careers.

“Fans wanted to know where to find regalia for the teams they support and we will be sending that information to the clubs. The fans are also happy with the $3 gate charges as they feel $5 is a bit too high.

“Some of them came emotionally charged feeling their teams were not being treated fairly and we had some parents who wanted to know which teams their children could join and offer professional careers. Parents want their children to play, but at the same time pursue education,” he added.