A gripping FNB Women Super League season reaches a fitting finale tomorrow when Mighty Gunners and FC Ongos battle it out for the title.
The two sides set the pace throughout the title race, with the lead changing hands regularly, while they have been a cut above the rest, building up a substantial lead over the chasing pack.
Now, with one round remaining, Gunners hold the edge, leading FC Ongos by a single point and a win against Windhoek City tomorrow will guarantee them their second successive title. Even a draw could secure the title, if Ongos lose their final match against Julinho Athletic, but if Gunners slip up, Ongos still have a chance of winning the title.
The chairperson of the WSL, Monica Shapwa, who is also the chairperson of FC Ongos Ladies, said they have not given up hope.
“They say the ball is round and it’s never over until, you know, the final whistle has gone. We are still in there, and so are Mighty Gunners, but for me, it’s a win-win situation for women’s football.
“It’s been one of the most interesting seasons ever, and the standard has definitely improved. You can see a lot of talent and quality players coming through, and the overall performance of the league has been great,” she said.
“But I think, as a committee, we are more focussed on producing quality players for the national team – that is what we are targeting now. So the idea is not to rush to become professional and then go backwards again when the issue of sponsors and so on come up, so we really want to be very strategic,” she added.
Shapwa said the league winners will receive N$350 000, while teams now also receive grants from the league sponsors FNB, but added that they still have quite a way to before turning professional.
“To be honest, I don’t think that the Super League is ready to go professional and be on its own. I think we still need the Namibia Football Association (NFA) to set up mechanisms because what you ideally first want is for your regions to be fully functional and you want the clubs to be running independently and financially on their own.
“At the moment, some clubs are really struggling, they don’t get their allowances, so that is the mindset that you’re trying to set for teams to say, look, the money that you’re getting from FNB is not for you to run your team, it’s just to assist you to run your team, with money that you get from another sponsor or somewhere else,” she added.
“FNB now gives the teams a portion of their sponsorship directly, while the teams have to provide financial accountability reports before they get their next grant. So the teams are still in that training period, and I think the best way for now is just to take it season by season for the time being,” she said.
“Then we must still get regional leagues to become fully functional in all the regions so that we can also streamline the promotion-relegation process. Once all the 14 regions are able to do promotion and relegation, then we can talk about the next phase on when to start the transition to becoming fully professional,” she added.
Shapwa said teams still have a long way to go in paying their players.
“I can confidently say that FC Ongos is the only team that pays all of its players a salary every month, and then about half of the players also have accommodation at Ongos Valley, so that is also on the club. Some of the other teams give key players a stipend, while some pay allowances, but I wouldn’t say it can be called salaries,” she said.
The coach of Mighty Gunners, Salome Iyambo, meanwhile said they are determined to finish on a high.
“We’re feeling focussed, motivated and grateful going into the final match of the Women Super League. The players have worked incredibly hard throughout the season, showing discipline, unity and the true Mighty Gunners spirit. We know the responsibility that comes with representing NDF Mighty Gunners Sport Club, women in sport and the NDF at large, and we are ready to Gove everything on the pitch. Final matches are never easy but the team is confident, hungry and determined to finish off the season as champions.
“We also want to thank our supporters, Mighty Gunners Sports Club, sponsors and everyone behind women’s football for believing in us. Now it’s about one last dance of the season together,” she said.
