The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has clinched a deal with Mbada Holdings, which will see the diamond mining company bankroll a 16-team knockout competition.
Well-placed sources told NewsDay Sport on Tuesday that the launch of the tournament would take place in the capital today at a function where all local football stakeholders will be present to witness the signing ceremony.
According to the sources, the first round of the tournament has been set for the weekend of September 23-25 and the winners will receive a subsidy to assist them in meeting expenses for participating in the Confederation of African Football (Caf) Confederation Cup.
Mbada Holdings will become the third local company to enter into partnership with domestic football after the PSL’s sponsors Delta Beverages through their Castle Lager brand and financial institution BancABC who have been sponsoring an eight-team knockout completion.
The latest sponsorship comes at a time when the majority of local clubs continue to struggle with viability challenges due operational costs.
Local football fans have in recent years been starved of local cup competitions as the economic situation in the country took its toll not only on local clubs, but also on the corporate world.
Meanwhile, the PSL board of governors will on Saturday hold a meeting in Harare with restructuring of the secretariat as part of the agenda as the league envisages massive growth in the next 12 months.
PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele yesterday said the meeting will seek to revisit the 2009 Harare Declaration and also review the 2011 season so far regarding competitions that have been held to date.
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He said the weekend meeting will also focus on the preparations for the 2012 season and the league had already approached an official from the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee to facilitate strategic planning workshops for the league in the near future.
“We will also look at our financial challenges and strategies to lure fans back to the game, partnerships in marketing and touchline advertising.
“We want to develop the league into a fully-fledged business unit that will take football to greater levels,” Ndebele said.
