WPL Crisis: Boycott hits weekend fixtures as clubs protest over funding
Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 14.03.26. | 20:04
At the heart of the standoff are a number of concerns raised by the clubs, most notably the lack of communication from the federation regarding the already disbursed FIFA Women Development Fund
The simmering standoff between clubs and the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) spilled onto the pitch on Saturday after teams in the FKF Women Premier League made good their threat to boycott this weekend’s fixtures.
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This led to cancellation of the two matches that had been scheduled for 14 March.
Two games had been lined up for the day, with Trinity Starlets set to face Zetech Sparks at the Comboni Polytechnic Grounds in Gilgil, while Kayole Starlets were expected to host Ulinzi Starlets at the Stima Sacco Grounds.
However, neither match kicked off as the ongoing dispute between clubs and the federation began to manifest itself in dramatic fashion.
At the Stima Sacco Grounds, where the Kayole Starlets versus Ulinzi Starlets clash had been scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m., match officials reportedly arrived at the venue in good time ready to officiate the encounter.
Upon arrival, however, they only found Ulinzi Starlets present at the venue while the home side failed to show up for the fixture.
With the hosts absent, the referees were left with little choice but to wait for the mandatory one-hour grace period before officially calling off the match, documenting the sequence of events in their official report.
Ironically, Ulinzi had themselves been part of the group of clubs that had earlier threatened to boycott the weekend’s matches.
The club, represented by Sheila Ndar, had been among those who signed a letter addressed to the federation communicating the teams’ intention to stay away from the fixtures.
A similar situation unfolded at the Comboni in Gilgil, where match officials initially arrived at the venue only to find that neither of the scheduled teams was present during the pre-match period.
The hosts, Trinity Starlets, eventually arrived at the venue shortly afterwards, but the game still failed to take place.
Trinity , represented by Chris Mwebia, had also been among the clubs that appended their signatures to the boycott letter sent to the federation earlier in the week.
In the end, neither of the scheduled fixtures was played, highlighting the growing tensions within the women’s league and exposing visible cracks in the unity among the clubs themselves as the boycott unfolded.
The decision to boycott the weekend matches had been formally communicated earlier in the week when the Women Premier League clubs, acting through their leadership caucus, wrote to the federation on Wednesday, 11 March.
The letter, signed by 11 of the league’s 12 clubs and submitted through caucus chairperson Richard Teka of Kibera Soccer Women, announced that the teams would not honour fixtures scheduled for Saturday, 14 March and Sunday, 15 March until their concerns are addressed.
The federation responded swiftly on Thursday, 12 March, acknowledging receipt of the clubs’ grievances and promising to look into the issues raised.
In its response, the federation also scheduled a meeting for Tuesday, 17 March, where representatives from both sides are expected to meet and attempt to resolve the dispute.
At the heart of the standoff are a number of concerns raised by the clubs, most notably the lack of communication from the federation regarding the already disbursed FIFA Women Development Fund.
Clubs have also expressed frustration over the delay in unveiling a sponsor for the Women Premier League, which had initially been promised for November last year.
Further grievances include the federation’s failure to disburse financial support to women’s teams by the end of the first leg of the season as earlier indicated by the Women Representative, as well as the lack of clarity on when the Women’s Cup competition will kick off and the continued absence of a sponsor for the tournament.