NFD FOR PLE VICE CHAIR POST NOTION

MBABANE – In an effort to balance representation, the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) Vice Chairmanship position may become a special reserve for National First Division (NFD) teams.

This is according to some discussions of the PLE Board of Governors (BoGs) discussions during their Extraordinary General Assembly held on Thursday. According to an informed source, BoGs had a notion that this new seat would need to be occupied by a member from the lower division league.  

The clubs adopted an amended constitution last August, which introduced the position of the vice chairperson in the Executive Committee (Exco). “It was discussed, and the assumption was that the PLE chairman is expected to come from the Premier League, while the vice would be from the NFD, to balance things and best serve the interests of both leagues optimally,” the source said.

In 2009, history was made when the then Manzini Sundowns’ Chairperson was elected as the PLE Chairperson. Tums du Pont was eligible to stand for the elections after being nominated to represent the first division league in the BoGs. He succeeded Moses ‘Mkhulu’ Motsa as PLE chairperson. “It was also said there shall be no independent chairperson for PLE, and a candidate to qualify for this position must be a club president or director,” the source further revealed.

Nomination

Article 39 of the constitution stipulates that the vice chairperson must have been an Exco for not less than two years prior to nomination. Their roles include assisting the chairman in his duties and responsibilities. In the absence of the chairperson, the vice chairperson shall act on his or her behalf.

Any person elected will also carry out other specific duties within the executive committee’s mandate that may be assigned by the chairman or the executive. It is noteworthy that the discussions held two days ago are subject to fine tuning before the 2023/24 general assembly.

PLE Chairperson Mark Carmichael said they would convene a workshop to thoroughly discuss all matters before presenting it in the assembly for adoption. The BoGs also discussed the NFD becoming an Olympic league. This means that the lower division will have an age limit, as opposed to being a development league. It has been suggested that this would be done to help the country and provide opportunities for young talent to play at the highest level.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: