MBABANE – It has been a dismal season for the country’s most expensive clubs to maintain, with the ‘Big Three’ yielding very little from their efforts on the pitch.
This is the stark reality for Mbabane Highlanders, Mbabane Swallows and Manzini Wanderers, whose combined performances guarantee them just E250 000 from prize monies this ending season. In contrast, two other MTN Premier League clubs have secured over a million Emalangeni each from the three competitions contested this season.
The campaign for these traditional giants was headlined by the relegation of Wanderers to the lower division for the first time since their establishment in 1957. Furthermore, the clubs finished the campaign without a single piece of silverware, with their last collective trophy success dating back two seasons. That was the 2023/24 MTN Premier League title won by Swallows; since then, the giants have suffered consecutive campaigns of dismal performances.
‘Birds’ are the highest earners among the ‘Big Three’ with their prize money totalling E120 000, placing them sixth overall. City rivals Highlanders finished E10 000 behind them with the E110 000 earned from a fifth-place finish in the MTN Premier League. ‘Weslians’ concluded the season guaranteed only E20 000, having bounced back from a period of inactivity during the 2024/25 season.
It is worth noting that these clubs have long been associated with high operational expenditure. Last season, ‘Birds’ sold high-earning players mid-season to reduce a monthly wage bill of approximately E271 000, and the club has openly declared this ending season that they are seeking investors to stabilise their financial position.
On the other hand, the hub giants’ struggles this season were also rooted in insufficient funds, which limited their ability to recruit competitive players. Consequently, the clubs were largely reliant on gate collections; however, Wanderers saw their match attendance numbers decline drastically following their poor run of form.
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