Excitement is building ahead of the launch of the 2017 edition of the Payserv Financial Services Soccer tournament with the draw set for Standard Chartered Sports Club on October 28.

This year, the tournament will add a new feather with a maiden women’s competition as well a pool competition.

Mufakose Queens and Cyclone Stars will herald the first participation by women’s teams at a tournament that has over the years been dominated by men with a number of former premiership players who pursued careers in the corporate sector taking part.

Financial Services Sector league chairman Kudzai Kwangwari, a former CAPS United centre-back said the 2017 tournament is going to be a better one than the previous years because of the inclusion of the women’s teams.

“This year have decided to rope in the ladies teams and we’ve got guest teams – Mufakose Queens and Cyclone FC who will be playing as the main curtain raisers before the final. We are trying to lure women into participation, so the two ladies teams will run as a pilot project since we don’t have a running women’s league yet. We also have other activities like Pool, Netball, etc., and entertainment as well, as we try to make the tournament a family event,” said Kwangwari.

Standard Chartered Bank who won the tournament in 2016 after beating CBZ in the final will be looking ahead to another good run in the tourney as they have been doing well in the league forcing themselves into reckoning in what has turned out to be a two-horse race for the league title, with the Payserv Cup champions currently two points behind leaders FBC, who have 43 points on the FSS log standings.

 “The league is quite exciting, up to today we are unable to declare a winner, it’s now a two-horse between FBC and Standard Chartered Bank. FBC is two points clear of Stanchart and come next week it will all be clear on who the league champions will be,” said Kwangwari.

CBZ, finalists in 2016 will also be hoping to go all the way after their fine run in the tournament and will try to end the season with silverware as they are currently fourth on the FSS log. CBZ will be banking on their goalkeeper Nyasha Dodzo, Nobert Mhike, Emmanuel Tapera, Chris Nazare and Simbarashe ‘Bance’ Gandiwa.

With the league now reaching its business end, Kwangari said the focus will be on the knock-out competition where league teams will be coming to together with the invited guests to battle for the season-ending silverware.

“The league has got 10 teams and we are inviting six other clubs from within the financial services sector, i.e. from the insurance and the banks who are not part of the league. So they will be coming in to join us to make 16 teams. The tournament is an end of year gathering where we will be having invited guests,” Kwangwari said.

The Financial Services League has always provided good talent to the Premier Soccer League and Division One teams. Players like former Gunners pair of Milton Mukaronda and Terrence Malunga, Hardlife Zvirekwi of CAPS United and Harare City’s Grey Kufandada are some of the numerous players who have come from the financial services sector and went on to play in the Premiership.

“It’s unfortunate that we have some age restrictions but we have had a lot of players coming through from the league and making it big in the PSL like the current Castle Lager PSL Soccer star of the year Hardlife Zvirekwi who is a former FBC player, so in terms of grooming and passage of play to the PSL, we have done well because of the organization of the league.”

The tournament which will start early next month will see the top four teams from the league being seeded for the draw on October 28 then start with round-robin matches on November 4-5 while the quarter-final, semis and the final are set for November 11.

Payserv affirmed their commitment to bankrolling the cup tournament and what just left is for the teams to gear up and battle for the 2017 edition of the Payserv Financial Services Soccer tournament.

“Payserv Zimbabwe has renewed its pledge to continue the sponsorship of the Financial Services Sector Soccer tournament by throwing its weight behind the 2017 edition of the sporting fiesta for the fourth consecutive year. The tournament will be played in Harare on the 4th and 5th of November with the final on the 11th of November. Formerly known as the Bankers Soccer League, there was a merger with insurance companies, thus the formation of the Financial Services Paynet Cup, which Payserv has been sponsoring for the past four years. Paynet is responsible for the electronic payments processing system which is offered to the market through Financial Institutions. With Paynet in Zimbabwe, corporates can pay creditors, salaries, collect revenue and make use of e-schedules, for a simplified data exchange and reconciliation with service providers,’’ said Payserv marketing and communications manager Patience Mapolisa in a statement.

Commenting on the event, Mapolisa said:

“Aligning our brand with this prestigious sporting event is a continuation of our corporate philosophy to always connect with and develop a sustainable relationship with the financial services sector and those accessing banking services. We are excited by this level of partnership between our organization and the banking community.”