Super League of Malawi trains new game stewards
As part of its efforts to ensure total peace, calm and order at soccer matches, Super League of Malawi (Sulom) with support from TNM Super League sponsors Telekom Networks Malawi is conducting a training of new game stewards.
The training started last week in Mzuzu and Lilongwe where about 70 new game stewards have been trained. The last phase of the training started in Blantyre this week and close to 70 more stewards are expected to be trained.
As part of practical exercises, the new recruits from central and northern regions were on duty during TNM Super League games played over the weekend in Lilongwe and Mzuzu.
Shedding more light on the training programme, Sulom general secretary Williams Banda said they embarked on the training programme to curb the understaffing of stewards during games.
“We have had shortages of stewards during games and this was having an impact on the deployment of security personnel. The deployment has to start from the stands and this can only work when we have enough stewards,” said Banda.
Banda cited the recent incident at Civo versus Mighty Wanderers’ game where stewards confiscated Chamba and alcohol sachets as one of roles stewards are supposed to play during games.
The Sulom GS hailed league sponsors TNM for including an allocation of stewards training in this year’s sponsorship package. He said the training is going to cost about K1.5 million.
According to Superintendent Alex Simenti from the National Police Headquarters, who conducted the Lilongwe training alongside Sergeant Getrude Mwachande from the Regional Police Heaquarters in Lilongwe, the training dwelt on crowd control, self defence, roles and duties of game stewards- amongst other topics.
After the stewards’ training, Sulom is expected to conduct referees’ refresher courses in all the three regions.
