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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
THE Lifelong Footballers Trust of Zimbabwe will this afternoon hold an all-stakeholders meeting at Raylton Sports Club in Harare to deliberate on the challenges faced by local football clubs, which has seen a number of them collapsing.The meeting is being hosted by the Trust in an effort to address the various problems that have continued to haunt local football clubs.

Among stakeholders expected to attend the indaba, are former and current club owners, sponsors, ZIFA and the Premier Soccer League.
Lifelong Footballers Trust chairman Francis Zimunya said they hope to come up with long-term solutions.

“We are going to have an all-stakeholders meeting where we are actually inviting everyone to attend and support this noble cause.  All former and current club owners, sponsors and prospective sponsors as well as administrators are invited to attend this very important meeting.

“The meeting presents a platform for the stakeholders to hear views and submissions from former club owners and investors as well as the current club owners so that Zifa, the Sports Commission and PSL can get information and advice on how these stakeholders are affected by the current state of affairs of football in Zimbabwe.

“From there, we will then try to find a way forward for the game to develop in this country. The companies that have been invited will also hear these submissions from the former and current club owners.

“We want to also hear from the current and prospective sponsors why they are sponsoring football and what they would want to see in football to continue sponsoring. And for the prospective sponsors what is it that they want to see in football in order to sponsor.

“The current sponsors will have an opportunity to inform club owners, ZIFA and PSL on what they expect in the future for them to continue and also increase their sponsorship in the game of football,” said Zimunya.

Zimunya said they hope, after the meeting, that the status of the game will change for the better since it is the first meeting of its kind.

“It’s going to change because we expect the responsible authorities to hear what the other stakeholders are saying because there haven’t been such a meeting before.

“This will help the current club owners, sponsors and administrators to avoid falling in the same pitfalls; we don’t want them to fall in the same pitfalls. Those sponsoring will have to check whether what they are giving is enough and if so why the clubs are folding.

“And the current club owners will highlight their problems, what they want done to remain in the game.  So it’s going to help everyone because it came at the end of the season, not too late and not too early also, so that those preparing their clubs take this into account as they prepare for next year,” Zimunya said.

Today’s meeting will start at noon.