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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
THE Premier Handball League will take off in March with more than 30 clubs expected to compete in the inaugural competition. This is the first time that there will be a handball league running in Zimbabwe and the country’s 10 provinces have been divided into two regions — Northern and Southern — in a bid to reduce travelling costs for the clubs.

The league is expected to run from March 29 to December this year with each region featuring 10 men and 10 women clubs.
Alphios Magiya, the secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Handball Federation, said they have divided the provinces into regions because of financial constraints since most of the clubs do not have sponsors.

“Because of financial constraints and difficulties in mobilising resources, we have divided the provinces into two regions —  Northern and Southern —  with 10 men and 10 women clubs taking part. They will play their fixtures and every province will host the league. For instance, in the Northern Region, if the matches are in Mashonaland Central all clubs will compete in that province.

“At the end of the regional fixtures, the top four teams from each region will then play each other and we will rank them from number one to eight while the bottom six will also have their own fixtures to determine number nine to 20,” Magiya said.

The league will be run by an interim committee led by Lydia Dube of Gweru’s Budiriro Rovers and Magiya said the committee will be responsible for all the affairs to do with the league.

“Their duty is to administer the league and mobilise resources for the clubs. They will also assist with registration and licensing of players as well as the technical development of clubs and club members.

“They will also help clubs come up with competent structures. Every club should have an executive committee affiliated with the handball league and it is the league’s obligation to see that the members are competent and have a certain level of qualification,” said veteran handball administrator Magiya.

The ZHF secretary-general said there is a potential sponsor who is likely to come on board and they are hopeful when the league starts, they would have concluded the negotiations.

The federation’s president, Amon Madzvamuse, also recently said that “a potential sponsor” will come on board once the league gets underway.

Meanwhile, TS Alliance of Harare and Masvingo’s Danhamombe will represent the country at the Confederation of African Handball Championships to be held later this year.

The two clubs qualified for the championships after winning the belated end-of-the-year Club Championships held at Budiriro Primary School in Gweru’s Mkoba 11 last weekend.

More than 20 clubs took part in this tournament. TS Alliance will compete in the men’s championships to be held in Kenya and Danhamombe will represent the nation in the women’s competition set for Tanzania. The championships will be staged later this year.