Veronica Gwaze-Zimpapers Sports Hub The 2024 Zimbabwe Women’s Premier Soccer League season may have kicked off, but alarm bells are ringing louder each day as the league scrambles for sponsorship to avoid another campaign marred by walkovers and financial strain. ZWPSL need at least US$280,000 for administration for the season. Yet currently they only have US$10,000 courtesy of Ponera Constructions who recently came on board as their benefactor. The amount had to be channelled towards payments for match officials while clubs are expected to meet the other expenses for the season on their own. While in the men’s league, clubs are ordinarily expected to see themselves through the season, it is a different case with the women’s side. Women’s teams, most of whom are individually owned, have for long struggled to lure sponsorship, hence the league has to play a role in ensuring that financial support comes through. “We are still in the woods. We need about US$283,000 according to our budgets for administration, transportation of clubs and other crucial services for the season,” revealed ZWPSL chair, Theresa Maguraushe. “If we are to factor in the issue of awards and other extras in the league, we will need more than that, so the situation needs to be addressed urgently. “Last season, we had situations whereby some clubs would be walked over after failing to fulfil their fixtures, hence the need to see that we avoid that again this year.” Inarguably, last year could be termed one of the worst seasons for women’s elite league, with at least 11 walkovers recorded in the campaign. Most of the walkovers came towards the end of the second half of the season as clubs had to bear the brunt of financial challenges. So far this season, the clubs have fulfilled the first two weeks, with Chapungu Queens in a flying start, picking maximum points against Conduit and Sheasham in 5-0 and 1-0 goal margins. Correctional Queens were the recent biggest winners of the weekend in their resounding 10-1 victory away to league debutants Red Buffalo Sports Academy, earning themselves a spot of second position on the log table. Harare City Queens registered their first win of the season, beating Maningi Youth Academy in a 4-1 thriller at The Heart Stadium. Reigning champions Herentals Queens and 2024 league runners-up Black Rhinos had their fixtures against Cranborne Royals and Kwekwe United, in that order, postponed after featuring in the Independence Cup in Gokwe recently. In Bulawayo, Highlanders Royals opened their season with two successive defeats against Mpopoma Sports Academy (1-2) and Platinum Royals (0-3). Platinum Queens head coach Lindiwe Ndlovu celebrated the massive victory over the Bulawayo-based powerhouse. “We are happy with the results because we are building for the future, so our focus is more on coming up with a strong team that can contend for the title in future and a top five this time around,” she said. “This time we introduced two new players, an Under-17 and an Under-20. We are fielding more in the coming games, so we have to celebrate this early win in the campaign and hope that we carry on with the fine form going forward. “Next week we play Black Mambas at home, and we do not want to lose at Mandava in front of our fans, so we have to quickly forget about this victory and invest our all as we prepare for the next game.” Harare City Queens F.C 4 – 1 Maningi Youth Soccer Academy; Highlanders 0 – 3 Platinum Royals; Black Mambas 0 – 2 Mpopoma Sports Academy; Conduit Soccer Academy 1 – 4 Faithdrive Academy; Red Buffalo 1 – 10 Correctional Queens F.C; Sheasham Gweru Queens 0 – 1 Chapungu Queens FC Kwekwe United Queens vs Black Rhinos Queens; Herentals Queens vs Cranborne Royals