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Midlands Correspondent
ZIFA Central Soccer League (CSL) aspiring chairman Patrick Hokonya sponsored the Matabeleland South Province awards ceremony held in Gwanda on Thursday night. Jessie Mine, Habane Sharks and ZRP Gwanda were honoured for their feat in the third tier league. Jessie Mine emerged champions followed by Habane Sharks and ZRP Gwanda, and the three teams will be competing in the CSL this season.

Hokonya later launched his campaign manifesto and appealed to the corporate world to come on board with support for grassroots development.

He said if elected, he would bring “back professionalism to football administration by treating it as a business”.

“There is no sponsorship in the league or financial benefits derived from competing in the CSL. The only sponsorship CSL had was the end of year awards held in 2010 in our inaugural year. Affiliation fees are too high for the clubs, hence most of them fail to pay,” said Hokonya.

“I want to bring back professionalism to maximise on brand CSL’s potential to generate revenue for the region and its members. There are several revenue streams that can be exploited for the benefit of the region, which include sponsorship, advertisements, endorsements, business partnerships, websites, newsletters,” he said.

As part of ensuring professionalism in the league, Hokonya said he would also reintroduce sub-committees, such as the finance committee, marketing committee and competitions committee, whose membership will be drawn from the clubs, the CSL council and others from the football fraternity.

He also said the number of teams in the CSL should be reduced from 18 to 16 to enhance the quality of the league, as this would reduce overhead costs for clubs during the campaign.