By Agnes Amondi,
Our writer Agnes Amondi takes a close look at the Women Premier league In Kenya and lines up her watchlist which aligns with her thoughts.
Will we have new league champions?
The dominance of Vihiga Queens is dizzying. They’ve won tripple titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019 doing so convincingly. Four and ten points gap in the last two years.
The last team other that Vihiga to lift the gong was Thika Queens in 2016, who’ve faded since the likes of Gaspo Women and Trans Nzoia Falcons emerged from obscurity to become top four mainstayers.
Even so, their challenge hasn’t been enough to topple the Kitale based club. Whether it will happen or not, we will have to wait and see.
Walkovers
Through out the course of last season, at least by the author’s count, WPL produced 11 walkovers.
It’s an area of concern that also saw two teams, Vihiga Leeds and Nyuki Starlets relegated from the top flight.
Not forgetting that in 2018, Mombasa Olympic also received the drop for the same reason.
No doubt that if some clubs could wish away this factor, they would but from the people within, it’s the lean resources that largely contribute to missed matches.
The resolution, again easier said than done, is to secure stable investment mainly via sponsorship.
Previously, the league was played in an abridged formart to try and circumvent such.
However, clubs opted for a unified formart in 2018 to amongst other things increase competition within the league.
I can’t say with certainty that match walkovers won’t happen but it’s anyone’s hope that at least they lessen.
League first timers
Only Kibera Girls Soccer Academy (KGSA) survived from last seasons’ promoted clubs. It is not a strange occurrence as in the, 2018 seasons, Gaspo & Trans Nzoia Falcons promoted then, performed beyond expectation to finish third and fifth consecutively.
With Ulinzi Starlets, Nakuru West Queens and SEP Oyugis Ladies climbing the ladder, theirs no doubt they’ll fight to stay up.
Ulinzi qualified on an unbeaten record and head coach Joseph Wambua is aiming for a top five finish.
SEP Oyugis were runners up and already plan to take the league by storm. League title their aim.
Quality of competition
The gap between the top four teams and the rest is significant and is possibly widening. Only Vihiga Queens, Gaspo Women, Thika Queens and Trans Nzoia Falcons registered over 50 points.
Further, only seven teams Kisumu All Starlets, Oserian ladies and Kibera Girls Soccer Academy including the aforementioned, got more than half the points (38) the league winners collected.The goal difference, staggering.
Eight out of 15 teams registered a negative GD, the least standing at -59.
Meanwhile, the all conquering Vihiga posted a mega GD of 87, 36 more than fourth placed Trans Nzoia who were the second highest scorers.
All the while, the lopsided results in every match week fixtures produce the above results.
For the gap to close in, lots will have to be done both by the clubs and the league. Delivering quality will take time. It circles around the obvious – investment.
