The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
WHEN wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost, but when character is lost, all is lost!
This age old truism appears to be unfolding for the domestic football top-flight league which seems to have lost its character earned over years when weekends were days to look forward to for every football loving person around the country.
Zimbabwe’s Premier Soccer League used to attract huge crowds, with fans paying through the turnstiles to watch live football matches, including those matches that involved the so-called small teams.
With counter attractions such as the English Premiership which has earned so much attention from local fans as well as emerging persuasions such as pool which is now an in-thing for people virtually of all age groups, the domestic football industry is feeling the pinch of getting less and less attention.
Mutare army side, Buffaloes FC, for example, were not a big team going by the standards of local football, but during their days in the Premiership, Sakubva Stadium would be turned into a fiery theatre of dreams as fans from all walks of life from different suburbs and towns around Manicaland converged to watch the Ndombolo brand of exciting attacking football.
Today, Tenax C.S FC, playing their debut season in the top-flight league would only be lucky to get above 800 fans paying to watch their home matches at Sakubva Stadium.
In the match against Caps United, slightly above 800 fans paid to watch the encounter before the correctional services outfit hosted Herentals where just above 500 attended.
For a match involving CAPS United, irrespective of them playing against whichever team, 800 is too small a number, given the Green Machine following across the country.
In the match against Yadah Stars, Tenax C.S FC had to content with just above 200 fans paying to watch their Castle Lager Premiership league clash.
Championship chasing Chicken Inn, which is also not so big a team compared to traditional giants, are averaging 500 fans during their home matches at Luveve Stadium in Bulawayo.
It even gets worse for teams like Black Rhinos and Cranborne Bullets who are travelling from their base in Harare to use Sakubva Stadium as their home ground.
Rhinos, for example, are averaging just 200 supporters paying to watch their home matches at Sakubva Stadium.
Could it be that the US$3 being charged for the rest of the ground is too high in view of the quality of the product?
Or perhaps, is it the prevailing economic hardships that have relegated watching football matches to a mere luxury that many can no longer afford?
Black Rhinos secretary, Edward Mutukwa said: “Marketing needs to be intensified. The rest of ground US$3 fee to an ordinary Zimbabwean, whose mind had been entrenched in watching English football during the a Covid-19 period is just too much, at least $2 would suffice.”
Rusape-born and bred Chicken Inn secretary, Tavengwa Hara, said: “We command a small crowd, but the numbers are improving every week we have a game. We are now attracting a lot of neutrals these days, but at the end of the day it all comes down to the issue of the economy.”
Tenax C.S FC spokesperson, Phillimon Mushekwa said: “I want to urge supporters to come in their numbers to support their local teams. The supporter is our 12th player and it is crucial that they come and watch football at Sakubva Stadium whenever Tenax is playing at home. Let me hasten to say the corporate world and local businesspeople must come on board to promote local teams.”
