On the surface, the rise in female football supporters crowding local stadiums is a sign of changing times — women breaking stereotypes and embracing the beautiful game.
But in some corners of the country’s football scene, especially in growing moneybags clubs, a quieter narrative is playing out.
Some women, once regulars in restaurants and clubs, have found new ground to hustle: the stadiums — and the stands packed with men with “fat wallets”.
Trading the nightlife for daylight, these women now blend seamlessly with passionate supporters, cheering their teams, while keeping an eye out for an opportunity.
Football matches offer a more respectable and less suspicious setting, yet behind the painted faces and team jerseys lies a different game —one of calculated charm, strategic mingling and subtle social fishing.
With crowds swelling and football fever rising, stadiums have become the new frontier for social climbing and informal matchmaking.
Football has become more than a sport — it’s a stage where appearances meet ambition and the hunt for connection plays out behind the roar of the crowd.
Such is the way events are unfolding in the Premier Soccer League matches where recently promoted moneybags Scottland FC, MWOS FC and Simba Bhora have changed the face of life and football fraternity at large.
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An elite group of women are gracing the stadiums sitting on strategic positions aligning themselves to some men who come to watch football whom they suspect to have fat wallets.
“We come here at stadiums where teams will be playing.
“These teams have a great support base where there are people with money.
“For the past three months when I was encouraged by one of my colleagues to accompany her to come and watch soccer matches, I must say my life has greatly changed,” said Elina Mukwairo* (25) a sex worker, who has been in the trade for four years and now a regular at Rufaro Stadium.
She added: “I don’t come here to sell anything physical. I come to watch the game, yes, but also to spot someone who might buy me lunch, help me with rent or just listen and offer support.”
Not for the love of football but being driven by economic desperation, single motherhood or unemployment, some of these women blend in as ordinary fans.
They laugh, cheer and celebrate goals like everyone else, but their eyes scan the crowd more sharply than most, searching not for the ball, but for a potential lifeline.
“I am a single mother. We come to watch football with my two friends. We also know that where there are crowds there are opportunities.
“Some men are generous, they will buy you drinks, give you transport money and even groceries if you are lucky.
Like in my scenario my relationship with Tau has now stretched up to three months and he is catering for my basic needs. We travel to wherever MWOS FC and Scottland FC will be playing,” admitted Tariro Rangarirai. *
Investigations made by _The SportHub_ revealed that some women have now found access to the pitch (soccer players) using their proximity to rich and powerful men who have links to the players and they then take advantage of that.
“For myself, I got linked to a player after I got access through my other boyfriend.
“The [players] saw us often, we greeted them after matches and eventually numbers were exchanged.
“Now it’s not about chasing random men. We have upgraded ---- we are dating the boys on the pitch,” said a lady in her early 20s, who refused to be named.
Norton-based team MWOS FC ---- a team which always register a sizeable number of supporters playing at home and also use buses for their supporters when playing away have seen their fan numbers increasing.
“We will not dwell much into our supporters’ private life. We just take them as supporters whether male or female. There might be cases of that sort, but to us we do not know much about that.
“For us we only know that the number of women supporters has grown, which is a good development for our football.
“I remember during our days as youngsters soccer was male-dominated. There has been a great change and we are very happy that many women come to the stadium,” MWOS FC chairman Cleyton Arimoso said.
He added: “As a club we have a nucleus of supporters. When we started we had 100 pioneer supporters. They would come using their own funds and 10% being females, it’s well-documented. To date, they travel by bus wherever we go.
“The carrying capacity for Ngoni Stadium is 6 000 and I can tell you that more than 1 000 are women supporters, who come to watch our home matches.”
While society may judge them, their actions reflect a broader story of resilience and the lengths people go to make ends meet.
Football, for them, is more than entertainment --- it is a wind of hope, however unconventional.
