Moorosi Tsiane
WITH the Women Super League season ending on Saturday, the Women Super League Management Committee (WSLMC) is already working on plans to increase the number of teams in the league.
LDF managed to defend their title and are yet to lose a match or concede a goal as they head into their final match against Sky Battalion on Saturday at Makoanyane Grounds.
In a recent exclusive interview with the Sunday Express, WSLMC chairperson Chris Bullock said they are already working on their strategic plan which will see them introducing youth tournaments and districts leagues.
“We plan to increase the number of teams next season from eight to ten and there is a competition currently being finalised to help determine the two teams which will be promoted to the Women’s Super League,” Bullock said.
“We have also just put together a four-year strategic plan specific to the WSL which we feel will help grow our league.”
Bullock, who is also the director of football at Premier League side Kick4Life said within their strategic plan, they are also planning to have youth tournaments and district leagues.
“We also have a strategic plan which we have put together for women’s football development at national level. In there, we have plans for youth tournaments and district leagues which would include schools but it’s still being worked on so I can’t say too much about it for now.
“However, I think one of the biggest positives this season is that some teams have introduced younger players which is good for development and increasing the pool of players who will be available for the national team. Teams like Stoko, who have performed very well, have built younger teams as well as Mafeteng Sistas, who have also shown improvement.
“Also, the big improvement of Rovers, who are on a five-match winning streak, shows that the league can be more competitive next season with more teams challenging at the top. We also have some exciting developments which we believe will help grow the league on and off the field over the coming months and in the long term,” Bullock said.
However, Bullock said the lack of infrastructure remains their biggest challenge as they struggled to get some proper grounds for their matches.
“I think there needs to be focus on putting in place facilities to assist the teams in improving as some still struggle to train consistently while they also do not have the right equipment. So, we are looking at how we can assist with the technical development of our teams which is part of the strategic plan.
“Another challenge is getting good grounds as many of the games are played on poor pitches. But we are very grateful to the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) who fully supported the league and financed it and ensured that it went smoothly by always providing what we needed to play the games,” Bullock said.
Bullock also said they are still to finalise the dates and details pertaining the their Top4 Tournament will be announced shortly after they have finalised their plans.