AS the Premier Soccer League (PSL) promotion and relegation play offs tiff unfolded, another school of thought emerged on whether division football, which now has four leagues, is serving its purpose?
Does Zimbabwe need four First Division football leagues?
That argument will need another day, but while the relegation promotion saga has just been put to an end, food for thought is why not have one National First Division which acts as a feeder unit to PSL teams?
Currently about 70 teams ply their trade in the First Division.
They are divided into the Northern, Central, Eastern and Southern Regions with each league having an average of 18 teams.
With each team registering about 30 players, it means there are 540 players for a whole region, excluding officials.
Collectively, the First Division books might have more than 1 000 players in the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) books, but in the aftermath of the Warriors’ dismal outing at the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Gabon, the question is why the divisions are not contributing to the development of the game.
However, several First Division teams are struggling to make ends meet.
The teams are struggling to pay their players and officials.
Some fail to fulfil fixtures, while others cannot pay their affiliate fees.
The situation is good for some company-funded teams that have a good balance sheet while economic hardships have made it tough for the majority of companies hence limiting funds for sport.
In the Central Region, almost every season, one or two clubs are suspended for failing to pay affiliate fees.
In 2014, three clubs in the region, Chomvumvuri Pirates, WhaWha and Nkayi United were banned from participating in the league owing to unpaid affiliate fees.
The affiliate fees were pegged at US$2 500 for old clubs while newly promoted clubs had to part with US$3 200.
Last season, ZIFA adopted a motion that two teams would be relegated from the country’s topflight league and have two promoted from the four First Division leagues through play-offs.
The move failed to go as planned as no one was prepared to fund the play-offs.
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) maintained ZIFA should fund the matches while the soccer governing body said it was not prepared.
The matter was eventually resolved and two teams will be relegated, while four will be promoted.
It means the league will have 18 teams; itself a burden for the league.
If Zimbabwe has one National First Division, teams in the regional league will merge and have one competitive team.
Division Two will have more clubs and be modelled in the way the current First Division is.
The First Division will have an age cap of 25 years of age allowing for only young players who still have age on their side.
They may allow teams to register three or four over-aged players.
A case study of South African football, the Premier Soccer League is the current top league.
The league is made up of 16 teams, all of which are professional.
At the end of each season, one team is automatically relegated to the National First Division, a second team may also be relegated through a play-off.
The relegated teams are replaced by one or two teams from the National First Division.
The National First Division is the second-tier in South African football.
The league is made up of 16 teams, which are either professional or semi-professional and is governed and controlled by the same body which runs the PSL.
The league winner is automatically promoted to the PSL at the end of the season.
Another highly placed team may also be promoted through a play-off.
At the end of the season, two bottom clubs are relegated and replaced by two play-off winners from the Vodacom League.
If Zimbabwe takes a leaf from the South African model, our First Division might be competitive at the premiership level and produce players for the national team.
Therefore, there is need for the incumbent ZIFA board to take a closer look at the current system and the South African model and select the best for the interest of football development.
Germany and Spain’s recent success at the World Cup was due to the massive investments in junior football through putting age caps on division football players.
Today, most of the players making it into these two teams are either from lower divisions or from junior football leagues.
Surely Zimbabwe can’t fail to emulate this.