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Petros Kausiyo
Deputy Sports Editor
THERE was a sudden plunge in the number of fans who came to watch the Castle Lager Premiership this season, despite the riveting championship battle that featured a three-way race that spilled into the final day of the marathon. While the domestic Premiership kept itself above the 600 000-mark, in terms of attendance figures in 2011 and 2012, there was a steep plunge this year as the number fell below the 500 000-mark, according to official figures released by the Premier Soccer League management.

SuperSport began its first full year of broadcasting local Premiership matches while there was a big number of mid-week matches, something that drew the ire of giants CAPS United, who complained bitterly about having to play a lot of their home games on Wednesdays.

In 2011, when the domestic Premiership went to bed with Castle as their flagship sponsors, it generated huge excitement among the fans and there was a marked improvement, in terms of fans who came to the stadiums, with 611 103 fans paying their way to watch local league matches.

Last year, the figure even rose with 643 293 supporters paying their way to watch the local Premiership matches and the PSL leaders believed that their product was now being appreciated by the fans.

But there was a reality check this year as the total number of fans who paid to watch Premiership matches plunged below the 500 000-mark with the PSL revealing that 495 098 fans paid to watch their games, which means that 148 195 fans decided to stay at home.

This represents a 23 percent loss, in terms of crowd support, in just one season and it’s a figure that should worry the game’s leaders.

It means that one team, Manchester United in England with an average of 75 000 fans at its home matches, brings in more fans in its first seven league matches of the season than all the 16 Premiership clubs can manage throughout the season.

PSL chief executive, Kenny Ndebele, said although they were still to establish the real reasons behind the decline, they reckoned that the increase in gate entry charges could have largely contributed in turning away many fans while an increase in the levy paid out to Zifa also meant reduced revenue inflows for the clubs. The PSL increased gate charges from US$3 to US$5 this season.

“A total number of 495 098 fans watched the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League matches this year compared to 643 293 during the 2012 season. The increased gate charges from US$3,00 rest of the ground to US$5,00 might have contributed to low attendances. The introduction of the Zifa 6percent levy on gross gate takings has affected income received by clubs and the league,’’ Ndebele said.

Ndebele also noted with concern the poor gate control measures at most Premiership matches where a lot of revenue continues to be lost through poor accounting systems.

“We have observed that clubs are not efficiently controlling the selling of tickets with a number of fans gaining access into the stadia free of charge.

“It has been noted that a number of clubs are not properly accounting for gate-takings. A lot of expenses are classified under ‘sundry expenses.’ The rate of payment for chief cashiers and cashiers differ from stadium to stadium.

“There is need to regularise the payment of various interest groups after football matches. In future the PSL levy shall be deducted immediately after the ground levies, SRC and Zifa levies’’.

Although the league’s chiefs may have pointed to the increase in gate charges as one of the reasons that could have contributed to the decline in attendance figures, it is also a fact that the top-flight has been short on quality players this year, who could draw crowds on a regular basis.

After losing such talent like Denver Mukamba, Takesure Chinyama, Washington Arubi and Rodreck Mutuma, who was more charismatic than he was talented, Premiership champions Dynamos, the league’s cash cows, struggled for stand-out players who could draw crowds to their matches.

With 2012 Soccer Star of the Year runner-up Masimba Mambare also having an indifferent season at Highlanders, the lack of star players at DeMbare and Bosso seemed to affect the league’s drawing power and the 2013 Castle Soccer Star of the Year, who will be crowned this week, will be drawn from a very average class.

In a refreshing business approach that will ensure they survive from only the real revenue they generate, the PSL have resolved to clear their debts with Zifa and the Sport and Recreation Commission. The PSL owe Zifa in excess of US$200 000 which includes levies, the Confederation of African Football fines paid on behalf of such clubs like Dynamos and Motor Action as well the 15 percent commission which some of the top teams owe the association from the sale of players outside the country.

But it is the six percent levy from gross earnings of each match that the PSL owe directly to cash-strapped Zifa while the top-flight body also need to clear a US$164 000 debt from similar levies owed to the Sports Commission.

Ndebele said yesterday the levies were a statutory requirement which his league needed to abide by.

Ndebele said the PSL had resolved to pay the Sports Commission US$8 000 a month to clear the debt they owe to the supreme sports body while the league was also working out the exact quantum owed to Zifa since the introduction of the association’s six percent levy.

The PSL chief executive also said they had resolved to let Zifa and the Sports Commission collect their levies on match days to avoid cases where the league would end up owing money to the two institutions.

“Part of the SRC money was collected but it was not forwarded to them and this was from 2009 and the condition they gave us was that if we clear the US$164 000 in monthly instalments of US$8 000 they would write off what another US$108 000 that we owed them.

“It is a statutory provision that we have to pay these levies. Going forward we have said both Zifa and SRC should come and collect straight from the gates. We want to be a bankable institution and we must survive on what is really ours and not to hold onto SRC or Zifa money. So as for Zifa we are still reconciling what we owe them because there were times when they were paid and there were times when the money was not remitted, for instance, during the match between Dynamos and CAPS United, Zifa ought to have been paid US$7 000 from the levies,’’ Ndebele said.

The PSL chief executive also told the assembly of clubs during their end-of-season review meeting that the league had engaged an international firm of chartered accounts to install new systems designed to bring greater accountability at the top-flight body. “The calculation and deduction of value added tax from gate-takings must be revisited. It is recommended that the league engages professional tax advisors to ensure compliance.

“Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants have in principle agreed to assist the league in this regard. The company is also prepared to assist in setting proper systems and procedures. It is important that the league is viewed as a transparent and accountable organisation.

“Our external auditors, Grant Thornton and Camelsa, noted in their 2012 management report that the League must honour SRC, ZIFA and other statutory levies. Currently the League owes the SRC a sum of $272 120 dating back to 2009. “The SRC had agreed to write off a sum of US$108 000 provided we settle the 2011 and 2012 levies in the sum of US$164 000.00 The said sum is to be paid in equal instalments of US$8000,” Ndebele said.