Mikia Kalati
PREMIER League Management Committee chairman John Leuta has announced that the 2017/18 Econet Premier League awards will be held on 6 July 2018.
This is set to be Econet’s first end of the season awards ceremony since they replaced Vodacom as the new Premier League sponsors last year.
Leuta also said all the Premier League clubs would have received their prizes for the 2017/18 season by the time the awards are held.
Bantu will be the first team to pocket the new M500 000 winner’s prize for the which has been increased from last year’s M200 000.
However, the premier league boss said there are likely to be no major changes to last year’s prizes as they had this year also introduced monthly individual awards for outstanding players and coaches.
In the 2016/17 season, Bantu’s Hlompho Kalake walked away with the two major awards bagging the Player of the Season (M10 000) and Players’ Player of the Season (M7500).
That year, LDF’s Mojela Letsie won the Top Goal Scorer award and took home M9000 while his teammate Likano Mphuthi got M7500 for the Goalkeeper of the Season Award.
Leuta said they are still to finalise the prize monies for the various categories.
“There is a possibility that the prizes will be the same as those of last season and there are any changes then they will be just slight,” Leuta said.
“The money for the awards was not included in the sponsorship package. The sponsors brought a separate budget just as they did with the monthly awards that were given to players and coaches.
“But I think by next week everything will be finalised. The prizes for the teams will be transferred to their banks before the awards.”
In terms of the categories, Leuta said there are no changes.
Matlama goalkeeper, Monaheng Ramalefane, who was among the big winners at his club’s end of the season awards ceremony also won two awards at the Futbolar’s Club awards. The awards that were held at the weekend and Ramalefane is likely to be among the contenders at the upcoming event.
The young goalkeeper was outstanding for Tse Putsoa in the 2017/18 season and could be among contenders for the Goalkeeper of the Season as well as the Young Player of the Year.
Kick4Life‘s Nkoto Masoabi is already certain of taking home the Top Goal Scorer award having netted 16 goals and could also rival the likes of Lindokuhle Phungulwa of Bantu for the Player of the Season.
Phungulwa played a key role as Bantu went all the way to win their second league title in a row. His teammates Tsietsi Khooa and Moloisane Ramasimong were also outstanding for the Mafeteng outfit and are likely to be in contention for honours next week.
