The Sunday News
THE Bulawayo City Council will reconsider reducing their gate charge at the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League matches.
This was disclosed by the Mayor, Martin Moyo who said they will respond to complaints from the clubs that the charges they were levying at their stadia were too high.
Moyo said they were now in a position to reconsider the rates as they felt that the council facilities should not be a financial burden to teams.
Moyo said football had become a business and clubs should be able to finance themselves from the game.
“Yes there have been complaints that charges are too high and it is eating into the teams’ revenue but we are willing to look at them and reconsider the rentals because we feel teams should be able to sustain themselves through football,” said Moyo.
There has been an outcry from PSL teams over the 20 percent gate charges that were levied to the clubs for the use of council stadia across the country and although the issue had been on the table for several years nothing had changed.
BCC charges 20 percent for the use of Barbourfields or just above $2 000 whichever is higher while for White City and Luveve Stadium the charges are just above $600. The council recently reduced stadium rates for the Bulawayo Amateur Football Association (Bafa) by more than half following a request from one of the oldest leagues in the country.
Moyo’s revelations on the backdrop of sentiments by Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Andrew Langa that stadium rentals charged by local authorities were too high and hindered communities from accessing them.
“We have always been concerned about the rates that are being charged by local authorities across the country because we feel they are rather too high. We will certainly engage the Ministry of Local Government over the issue because sporting bodies have come to us seeking our intervention on the issue,” said Langa.
In a related development BCC reduced rates for the Barbourfields Outside Grounds, which are used by Bafa, from $13,35 to $6 per match.
Bafa chairperson Cris Mtungwazi said they would return to the traditional Bafa venue this year following the reduction of the rates.
The association was forced to dump their traditional venue, the BF Outside Grounds, and resorted to using grounds at schools dotted around Mzilikazi suburb as they sought cheaper alternatives.
“We are obviously happy about the development and would like to extend our gratitude to the city council for their gesture. I think it shows BCC is serious about the growth of sport within its environs and I hope other councils follow suit. It will go a long way towards the development of football in the region as we are likely to have more teams taking part in Bafa,’’ said Mtungwazi.
“The league (Bafa) has been struggling to attract more teams because of the high costs that stadium rentals contributed to. As you are aware we do not make any money from our games hence it would be difficult if the rates go up.’’
Meanwhile, the council will turn its football side BCC Golden Stars into an independent business entity that would sustain itself without milking the local authority’s meager resources, according to Moyo.
