DAR ES SALAAM: SIMBA Queens are gearing up for the league's season opener, the Community Shield tournament, which is scheduled to take place from September 24 to 27 at the KMC Complex Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) Communications and Information Officer Clifford Ndimbo, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the tournament, being held for the second time, will feature the top four teams from the previous season.
Ndimbo stated: "We are looking forward to opening the new season of the Tanzanian Women's Premier League with the Community Shield tournament.
"The preparations are going well and the competition will begin with four clubs, we believe it will be more competitive and exciting than last year."
Ndimbo pointed out that, "The teams expected to participate in this tournament include Simba Queens, JKT Queens, Yanga Princess both from Dar es Salaam and Ceasiaa from Iringa."
In the previous edition of the Community Shield, Simba Queens emerged victorious, defeating JKT Queens in a tense final that was decided by penalties, with a 5-4 shootout score.
Violeth Nicholous, a Simba Queen player fresh from CECAFA Zone tournament said they are ready for the battle.
She explained that Simba's performance in the CECAFA event held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia finishing fourth, was due to the weather conditions that posed a bit challenge for them since the climate there was quite different.
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"As a result, we were unable to perform at our best, as we usually do when playing in familiar conditions.
However, despite the difficulties, this experience provided us with valuable lessons and an opportunity to grow as a team.
"We learned a lot from competing in such a difficult environment, which will undoubtedly benefit us in the future.
The determination and preparedness of the teams were visible, and this made the competition tougher and more thrilling," she said.
On her part Fatuma Issa said: "We are setting up thorough strategies to ensure that the team is fully prepared for the challenges ahead.
Our team has not given up and with the quality of players we have, combined with the expertise of our technical bench, we believe we will come back stronger and more competitive.
"The lessons learned from this tournament will push us toward achieving greater success in the upcoming competitions.
All the teams came well-prepared, as they were highly motivated to secure representation in the CECAFA tournament."
Simba Queens' was participated third time in the qualifiers, following their in 2021 and 2022.
Their standout achievement came in 2022 when they clinched the title and earned a place in the CAF Women's Champions League.
