FKF makes changes to Women’s Premier League kick off date

© Vihiga Queens

FOOTBALL FKF makes changes to Women’s Premier League kick off date

Joel Omotto 10:23 - 15.09.2023

The FKF Women’s Premier League 2023-24 season will now later than initially planned, giving teams more time to prepare and strengthen.

Vihiga Queens will now begin their FKF Women’s Premier League title defence in October and not September as initially planned following changes made to the kick-off dates for the 2023-24 season.

The new campaign will now start on Saturday, October 7, marking a slight change from the originally planned date of September 23, due to the involvement of a number of players in national team duties this month.

That will be after the new season’s curtain-raiser, the FKF Women Super Cup, which will feature a clash between the 2023 FKF Women’s Cup champions, Ulinzi Starlets FC, and the reigning league winners Vihiga Queens FC on September 30.

The adjustment in the schedule has been made to accommodate the ongoing preparations of the Harambee Starlets for their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifiers against Cameroon which features a significant number of players from both Ulinzi Starlets and Vihiga Queens who are currently in camp with the Beldine Odemba-led side.

If Starlets emerge victorious on aggregate against Cameroon, they will then face either Gabon or Botswana in the second round scheduled to take place between November 27 and December 5.

Victory for Kenya in the second round would secure automatic qualification for the prestigious 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, a tournament Kenya last played in 2016, in what was their debut.

Vihiga Queens and Ulinzi Starlets will clash in back-to-back matches as the two also face off in the season opener, while last season’s runners-up, Gaspo FC, will host Bunyore Starlets at Stima Club.

League debutants Bungoma Queens will face off against league returnees, Kibera Soccer Ladies while Soccer Assassins, also newcomers to the top tier, will take on Odemba’s Kenya Police Bullets, previously known as Thika Queens.

A number of teams are still making signings to strengthen their squads as the Women’s Premier League transfer window is still open up to September 29.