Zambian Premier League launched

13.09.2023 | Football in my DNA

The Zambian Premier League (ZPL) was formally established today in Lusaka, following the amendment of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) constitution in 2021.

The Golden Peacock Hotel hosted the event, which was attended by league sponsors, SuperSport, and club executives.

The de-linking of the Premier League from the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) means that the Football Association of Zambia will retain ultimate control of football in the country, while the ZPL will be granted sufficient management privileges as it runs independently.

Kamanga further stated that "under the new setup, FAZ will focus on developmental programmes through all national teams, women's football, and grassroots."

According to the FAZ president, the long-awaited delinking of the league is intended to professionalize and commercialize the league.

Kamanga went on to say that the meeting was also "in recognition of the fact that SuperSport will be a key player in the new setup."

The new structure will allow the ZPL to operate more efficiently and effectively, and it will give the league the freedom to innovate and grow. The league is expected to attract more investment from sponsors and broadcasters, which will help to improve the quality of the game and raise the profile of Zambian football.

Here is an official statement from FAZ

ZAMBIAN PREMIER LEAGUE TAKES OFF

The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) took the final step in the actualization of the Zambian Premier League (ZPL) with the de-linking of the professional league from the Association.

FAZ president Andrew Kamanga says the journey had been gradual but will continue to see out the process to its ideal status.

Under the new set up the ZPL will have management rights to operate independently while FAZ will focus on the national teams and development leagues.

And SuperSport Africa Thabo Ngobeni says SuperSport was engaging Zambian clubs over the delinking of the league to help them explore the opportunities available in the historic move.

Speaking during the caucus that saw SuperSport Africa, FAZ and the 18 Super League teams converge at Golden Peacock Hotel to interrogate the implications of the de-linking.

“Today’s event comes on the back of a historic development in our game which is the de-linking of the Premier League from the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ). This is a process that has been long trodden by the Zambian game, but we are happy that we are building from the lessons of history,” Kamanga said.

“Our engagement with SuperSport is meant to acquaint our membership on the modus operandi of the new structure. I must state from the outset that this is not a divorce but a partnership that promises to elevate our game to the next level.”

The FAZ boss said that the de-linking had no reason to fail having drawn from previous attempts in the history the Zambian game.

“Many developed football nations have embraced this model. We have been down this road before as far back as 1962 when the Northern Rhodesia National Football League (NRFL) was officially launched. The experiment however was halted in 1974 when the government dissolved it. The merry-go-round continued with the restructured league back on stream in 1982.”

He added: “The examples highlighted just show how troubled this path has been. Zambia was back in 2009 through the well-known Chisamba declaration that birthed the process we are launching today. I am happy to see some of the pioneers of the de-linking process that will also be part of the Zambian Premier League. I can see the FAZ vice president Dr Justin Mumba, the ZPL board chairman Mr Kephas Mumba and the Lusaka Province Chairperson Mr Jordan Maliti. I see a lot more faces in the audience who have been part of this journey.”

Kamanga said, “As the Football Association of Zambia, we will retain the overall superintendent role over football in the country with the ZPL given appropriate management rights as it operates independently. Under the new set up, FAZ will focus on developmental programmes through all national teams, women football, and grassroots.”

Meanwhile SuperSport Senior Commercial Manager Thando Bakumeni said SuperSport Africa valued its partnership with the Zambian market and was looking forward to more partnerships.

“We are one of the biggest and most trusted brands and would are glad to have you as partners,” he said.

And ZPL board chairperson Kephas Katongo said the de-linking of the league was a watershed moment.

“Our aim is to create passive income for clubs through innovative ideas we shall always bring to your face over and above the current financial support. We intend to be strong on capacity building and are already in discussion with an entity for the provision of a sports diploma for ZPL administrators. Furthermore, fans engagement remains a pedestrian for most clubs, and this is an area we shall endeavour to grow especially among millennials that are currently not a feature at most games,” said Kamanga.

The de-linking of the current league started in 2009 when clubs met under the auspices of a FIFA project in Chisamba. However, FAZ dithered to implement the recommendations that were adopted by the clubs but in 2021, the Kamanga executive took the bold to amend the constitution and provide for the accommodation of the ZPL.

Since the amendment of the constitution, FAZ went about implementing the de-linkage which has since hit full flight.

The ZPL has already established own offices within Football House under Joseph Chimpampwe who is the chief executive officer heading a secretariat.