Why it is a bumpy road ahead for WPL clubs

After Football Kenya Federation (FKF) announced the transfer window open for the next 10 weeks for both the Women's Premier League and the Division One League ahead of the 2020/2021 season kick off, not all the clubs are excited about the process of acquiring new players.

Unlike their male football clubs counterparts, women's clubs have over the years been faced with crippling financial challenges of not only maintaining their players with salaries and allowances, but also not acquiring players based on their worth, making the transfer process undervalued by both players and clubs.

For instance, Women Premier League side Eldoret Falcons, whose two players- Annedy Kundu and Ruth Ingosi who moved to Cyprus, say they have no means of buying players during the transfer window period since they mostly get their finances from friends and well-wishers.

"We rarely think of buying players. We have always gone for raw talent and look for passion above everything else when it comes to scouting players, because even without the money, passionate players stick it out with the club until they get better platforms.

And with the pandemic's immense effects on the economy, the upcoming season will be the hardest especially without sponsors," Falcons coach Joshua Ariko told Nation Sport.

Ariko added that they acquired 10 players in the beginning of the year and may maintain them since they have not really played after the season was cancelled due to Covid-19. Apart from defending  champions Vihiga Queens, who get their financial support from the Vihiga County Government, most women football clubs depend on fundraisers and local sponsors to meet their needs.

The financial challenge has recently been felt with player tapping cases by Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) acquiring both Bertha Omita from Kisumu All Starlets and Wincate Kiare from Thika Queens without release letters from their current clubs and the International Transfer Certificates, stating that the players left due to overdue unpaid wages.
 
According to recently promoted Ulinzi Starlets head coach Joseph Mwanza, the obvious financial challenge will not be the only elephant they will have to address.

 "Compared to women, it might be easier for men to get back into the rhythm of the league because women almost always have something else going on. One of the major fears that we now have on top of the Covid-19 testing, is the number of pregnancy cases we'll have once we announce resumption of team training," he said.

Since most players assumed that the league will commence next year, we are highly concerned about those who decided to start families, go back to school and be entrepreneurs during the pandemic. And specifically for my team that has 90 percent of the players from the military and police force, we truly have our work cut out. This makes it more difficult for us because we might end up losing some of the best players and replacing them is even harder," said coach Mwanza.

The 10-week transfer window shall close on November 16 for the Women's Premier League, while the Division One League will close on November 23 as the clubs await commencement dates for both leagues.

The last transfer window was in January before both leagues were cancelled in March due to the directives given by the government to curb the spread of Covid-19. Only one round of matches had been played.