Football

MBABANE – The recently unveiled income-generating initiative by the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) could potentially inject up to E2.4 million into its member clubs.

A few days ago, the PLE, in partnership with Skyfly, unveiled the PLE Smart Card, a loyalty card initiative set to be rolled out soon. Fans will subscribe to the card by paying an initial fee of E100.

Of this subscription amount, a significant portion—E80—will go directly to the clubs, while E20 will cover administration costs. When fans subscribe to the Smart Card, they will nominate their chosen club and the PLE will then transfer the allocated money directly to the clubs' MoMo accounts.

According to supplementary information shared by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pat Vilakati, the organisation, led by Chairman Polycarp Dlamini, is targeting at least 30 000 subscriptions for the first season.

The initiative, launched last Friday, will be rolled out in stages, starting with the MTN Premier League and then extending to the MulaSport National First Division (NFD), with the entire process expected to take six months.

If the target of 30 000 registrations is achieved, fan subscriptions will cumulatively amount to E2.4 million for the clubs, while the PLE will generate E600 000 for administrative purposes. Vilakati has clarified that the first phase will be piloted with the 16 top-flight league teams.

Full article available in our publication.

(L–R) PLE Head of Business Development Sibusiso ‘Scorpion’ Nxumalo; Chairman Polycarp Dlamini; Skyfly Group President Musa Dlamini and Philani Maswati Charity Organisation Chairman Lutfo Dlamini, unveiling the PLE Smart Card. (Pic: Nimrod Hlophe)