MegRush writer | August 25, 2019
New League for ladies football
South African Football Association (SAFA) has launched a professional women’s league in South Africa starting this weekend in Soweto, south of Johannesburg. The timing could not have been better than what is affectionately known as the women’s month in the land.
Impressed to the kilter by Banyana Banyana’s (national senior women’s squad) first-ever qualification to the recent Women’s World Cup (WWC 2019) in France where they featured gaily, SAFA announced a R10 million investment in the National Women’s Soccer League prior to their departure earlier this year.
The league, the first of its kind in Africa, consists of 12 teams emerging from nine provincial winners. On Thursday, EyeWitness News (EWN) reported that there are two teams “linked with PSL clubs” and the twelfth is the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The report further states that the 12 teams will play “six games over two days” in Soweto and “22 matchdays across all provinces”.
Launching without sponsors nor clarity on prize money, the league joins countries like the well-resourced big time-hitters of global women’s football in the ranks of United States of America, England, Germany, France, etc., in promoting and advancing women’s football.
For far too long the passionate SA fan-base has been accustomed to men’s professional football. How will it receive and view this progressive change in its somewhat fixed frame of minds? Whichever way it will be perceived, the groundbreaking league is going to need a huge financial muscle to pull this off and lure supporters and partners across the country to rally behind it.
South Africans are a picky-bunch in following and attending their teams and matches, not to mention their fickle backing. This will be a sterner test for this new women’s league.
Broadcasters are nonexistent at the moment, Danny Jordaan, SAFA President, said warily. However, he indicated that the Association is involved in ongoing “engagements” with both the SuperSport and South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
Previously, the Premier Soccer League (PSL – men’s football body in SA) has alluded to the incredible challenge of attracting sponsors and the difficulty of extracting value from broadcasting during the branding stages. SAFA can expect similar huddles on take-off and operating the league of this nature for the very first time. Realistically, Jordaan should be ostensibly familiar with all these challenges.
There are professional clubs in SA like Lamontville Golden Arrows persistently making do without sponsorship support notwithstanding the exposure they delight in SuperSport and SABC.
Although an announcement like this in women’s month earns its equal share of accolades, bleak economic outlook on the ground dampen the prospects of finding funding and willing partners as most companies are belt-tightening.
Compounding the situation, football is a tough proposition in its nascent phase. But once it hits the dizzy heights, sponsors will be jostling for the front seat for every lift-off at the beginning of each scheduled season. Fortunately, Danny Jordaan does not need elaborate introductions. SAFA should be able to clinch a deal or two if all promotional issues go well.
Summing up the good development, there is a change of tact from the football gods in the country. Will there be a change of hearts from the football congregants across the SA divide?
Hopefully, the new league will set a revolution in football circles that will send stereotypes tumbling to ground zero. For parity’ sake, women too deserve their chance on the premier turf.