THE Premier Soccer League (PSL) has stated that teams should embrace club licensing to ensure success in the league ahead of the 2015 season.
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Chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele says club licensing will guarantee clubs have qualified personnel to run their organisations and improve the level of professionalism.
“This year was a successful season, but like any other organisation there are challenges that we faced throughout the year.
In terms of competition we had challenges in terms of clubs struggling to fulfill fixtures. And that is not good when we have matches that come out on TV. That brings us to the call to ensure there is club licensing,” he said.
“Clubs should be of equal standing, have defined management structures, qualified personnel to run their administration and ensure that ability to fulfill fixtures.
“We are happy with the coaches and that should be the same with management. All these people are required to perform football duties and that would improve the level of professionalism within the football family,” Ndebele added.
Relegated Chiredzi Football Club had such a problem this year as its ownership was not clear and funding was questionable and is one club that failed to fulfill fixtures in the top-flight league when they failed to play Chapungu at Ascot Stadium.
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He said it is the league’s hope that teams promoted into the PSL will meet the minimum standards of the club licensing.
“It is our hope that the promoted clubs meet the minimum standards, at least a constitution that spells out club ownership and documents to spell out job description, separation of power and division of labour,” Ndebele said.
Next year, Tsholotsho FC from the southern region, Whawha from the Central Region, Flame Lily (Northern Region) and the Eastern Region’s Dongo Sawmills will be playing in the top flight league.
Tsholotsho — only the second team from Matabeleland North after Hwange to make the PSL — do not have a stadium and could be forced to play their home and away games at the revamped White City Stadium in Bulawayo 115km away.
Sawmills will be based at Vhengere Stadium in Rusape, but the venue also has to pass an inspection test from Zifa and the PSL.
Whahwa will play Ascot in Gweru-the home ground of Chapungu while Flame Lily have options in Harare-Rufaro, NSS, Gwanzura and Larfarge.
According to Fifa, the organisation structure of a club should have a president and a board of directors who appoints and general managers who runs the day-to-day activities of the club.
Club should have a technical structure for the senior team, a medical team and youth developmental structures.
The structure should have club structures administration which has administration, marketing, communications, finance, human resources, legal, logistics, facilities management and event management.
