SuperSport United are in talks with two Hollywoodbets Super League sides in an attempt to become the fourth DStv Premiership club to have women’s team, club’s CEO Stan Matthews confirmed.
Matthews said he has submitted two potential partnership proposals to his board, who will decide on which of the two clubs Matsatsantsa will partner with.
Mamelodi Sundowns, TS Galaxy and Royal AM are the only DStv Premiership clubs who have women’s teams playing in the Hollywoodbets Super League right now, while SuperSport, instead of buying a franchise, are seemingly looking for a partnership.
“The women’s team, there have been two formal applications to partner with us,” Matthews explained.
“I can’t say to you who they are right now, but it is with my board and that is going to take about three weeks before the board decides on that.
“But there have been two both Hollywoodbets teams that have expressed an interest to partner with us. They have put their case and needs forward to the club and I have put that to the board to make a decision as to which way they want me to go [with] in terms of this partnership.
“But it’s a partnership that we are looking to add value to. We certainly are not looking at paying lip service to the women’s team, we want them to be competitive, to represent themselves and ourselves well.
“We want to add value to the individuals within the team, both the playing staff and technical coaching staff. That can add the layer to Gavin Hunt and his team, whether that’s helping out with our sponsors that we currently have, with our kit sponsors, with some of the other sponsors that you see that will be given first option to sponsor the women‘s team to help to add value to them.
“So wherever they finish this year in the Hollywoodbets league, we would want them to finish better next year.”
Kaizer Chiefs are another top-flight side that expressed an interest in forming a women’s team, with JVW FC owner Janine Van Wyk recently telling iDiski Times that they couldn’t agree terms with Amakhosi.
Golden Arrows chairperson Mato Madlala previously said she would not be doing justice to having a women’s team as long as they won’t get paid the same amount of money as men.
The Confederation of African Football has previously stated that all teams taking part in CAF inter-club competitions must have women’s teams, but they put that obligation on hold for now.
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As a consequence, SuperSport, who will participate in the CAF Confederation Cup next season, will not be obliged to have a women’s team in 2023/24 to align themselves with CAF club licensing rules.
CAF Secretary General Veron Masengo-Omba said during the CAF African Schools Championship in Durban in April that they have a lot of challenges in Africa because many clubs don’t have adequate facilities, saying governments are the ones who own facilities in the continent. He added it is why the newly-formed CAF Super League will start with eight teams instead of 24.
