Maqonda Ndlovu
The Namibia Football Association (NFA) launched the 2023/24 FNB Women’s Super League (WSL) with an announcement that the prize money will increase from last season’s N$80,000 to N$250,000 this season.
The relegation of two clubs at the end of the previous season, and the inflation clause in the sponsorship agreement between FNB and NFA were two factors that made the increase in prize money possible.
Speaking at the launch in Windhoek yesterday, NFA League Director Maboss Vries said having assessed last season’s prize money, they decided to increase this year’s prize money to improve the quality of women’s football.
The league will kick off on 11 November, with the fixtures set to be released before the end of this week or early next week.
Teams will play double-headers, and a draw to pair the teams as travelling partners was conducted.
Nust Babes were paired with Arrows Ladies, while V-Power Angels were paired with FC Ongos Ladies, Ongwediva Queens were paired with Ramblers, Unam FC were paired with Girls and Goals, as Khomas Nampol got Beauties and Namib Daughters got Okahandja United.
“We are pleased to announce that the FNB WSL will officially kick off next week. The anticipation surrounding the league is palpable. We cannot wait to witness the talent, passion and dedication that our female footballers will bring to the field,” Vries said.
He added that the league will kick off later than anticipated due to the Brave Gladiators’ participation in various competitions, namely the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Cosafa, and Olympic qualifiers.
“We had to make a difficult decision to postpone the start of the league as our Brave Gladiators have been representing us on the international stage for the past two months,” he said.
Speaking at the same occasion, FNB marketing executive Gordon Pokolo said they were very happy with how the first season of the FNB WSL had penned out, and they were looking at options to improve their participation.
“NFA came to us with some suggestions on how we can help these clubs, especially when it comes to travel and the double-header matches. We are looking at those suggestions, and as soon as we have made a decision, we will let everyone know. We would like this league to be run as professionally as other leagues,” he noted.
Pokolo further called on clubs to approach other corporates, including FNB, for individual support rather than relying on grants from the league.
Twelve teams will participate in this year’s competition, with nine of them based in the capital, Windhoek.
The three from outside the capital are Namib Daughters, Okahandja United and Ongwediva Queens.
In the capital, the defending champions, FC Ongos Ladies, will lead the charge alongside V-Power Angels, Ramblers, Girls & Goals, Beauties, Khomas Nampol Ladies, Arrows Ladies, Unam and Nust Babes.
FNB Namibia announced a three-season title sponsorship of the WSL valued at N$7,5 million, translating to N$2.5 million annually.
Of this N$2.5 million, N$1.4 million goes directly into grants and prize money, while the rest goes into administration and marketing.