New PSL sponsor

al meeting at the weekend.

This development comes as a huge sigh of relief to 16 premiership clubs who faced the prospect of kicking off the new season without a sponsor after mobile cellular network giant Econet Wireless pulled out after bankrolling the sport last year, citing the squabbles in the sport as their reason.

PSL treasurer Joseph Goromonzi has revealed that his management committee had finally found a sponsor for the league, expected to kick off on March 18.

“The duty of finding a sponsor is the responsibility of the treasurer and the chief executive (Chris Sambo) and I am happy to announce that we have secured a sponsor for the league. We are certain that the deal will be sealed before the AGM on 11 March as there are just one or two minor items to tie up,” he said.

Gormonzi also added that the PSL had also retained the two other sponsors from last year, OK Zimbabwe who financed the OK Woza Bhora Challenge and Mailnet who sponsored the Coach of the Month award.

An elated Goromonzi said the league sponsorship was excellent but raised concerns about the inflation playing havoc with the Zimbabwe economic, believed to be currently at 613 per cent and still going up.

“This sponsorship package should meet the expectations of the clubs although the challenging economic environment may affect the good deal in the long run,” said the treasurer who said it was policy that sponsors be only unveiled at the AGM.

Besides taking care of the league sponsorship, the same deal will also bankroll the popular and traditional Soccer Stars of the Year awards, Coach of the Year and Referees of the Year.

However, Goromonzi urged clubs to look for supplementary sponsors in uniform with world trends where football is viewed as big business.

Besides the clubs that are run by companies such as Wankie who are financed by Hwange Colliery, Railstars run by the National Railways of Zimbabwe most of the clubs do not have a sponsor even big clubs such as Highlanders are perennially broke despite having huge followings.

In neighbouring South Africa all clubs have a sponsor with the big boys such as Kaiser Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns having more than three sponsors at any given time.

“Our clubs should also have technical sponsors who would take care of their transport costs, accommodation, food and medication among other expenses associated with the game,” said Goromonzi-CAJ News.