The Premier Soccer League (PSL) and clubs in the lower ranks of Zimbabwean football were last week up in arms after Zifa president Cuthbert Dube reportedly said the football governing body was mooting an idea to have all gate charges slashed.
NewsDay Editorial
According to the report, Dube said Zifa would push for the lowering of gate charges at all matches, both local and international, down to as little as a $1. But with the current economic meltdown gripping the country, is this going to be an easy task?
In as much as this is sweet music to the ears of the owners of the game — the fans — it is actually a recipe for disaster on the side of clubs.
Since dollarisation, PSL management and clubs pegged the minimum entry fee at all their soccer matches at $3 while fans watching Division One football have had to pay $1.
VIP tickets have been selling for $5 with VVIP seats going for $10.
Still this has not been enough to sustain football clubs which have been finding it hard to attract sponsors under the current harsh economic conditions.
Gate-takings had become their cash cow and most of the clubs facing the chop from the top-flight league would have gone through financial constraints.
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However, it has been a different situation with the country’s big two community teams — Highlanders and Dynamos.
The two have enjoyed support from their fans, hence they make a killing out of gate-takings.
While it is a good idea to slash gate charges, first of all, Zifa must look at the expenses clubs have to meet each time they play a single match.
In other words, Zifa should come up with a solution to slash these charges or to have separate sponsors who would then bail out clubs from meeting some of the expenses.
One thing for sure is there is no club in Zimbabwe that has its own stadium, so teams have to book venues which are usually charged at 20% of the total gross gate-takings.
After securing the venue, the club has to meet security charges which include the police, which we understand are paid according to their rank, the medical team (which is a must for any match to go ahead) and match officials.
Apart from that, the PSL will have their own percentage from gate-takings as well as the Sports and Recreation Commission and Zifa.
It is the gate-takings that have enabled teams in the past to meet their obligations.
For clubs that have no sponsorship, gate charges have gone a long way in paying players’ salaries, winning bonuses, transport and accommodation.
In as much as fans would be happy to have gate charges slashed, the powers-that-be should also consider the plight of football clubs that have been surviving from hand to mouth.
In actual fact, if Zifa forces this on clubs, most of them will crumble due to financial constraints midway through the season.
