Binga Pirates seek more sponsors

Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
ZIFA Southern Region Division One club Binga Pirates are desperate for help to raise $36 000 needed for this year’s subscription fees.

Binga Pirates are sometimes financially supported by Agribank and members of the community, including the club leadership, who have used personal resources to finance the team’s operations.

Last week the club received a donation of $10 000 from Agribank to go towards affiliation fees. The team had paid a $5 000 deposit to the league.

Agribank executives Gilbert Nhimura and Noel Sibanda handed over the donation to the club executive in Binga.

Club chairperson Susan Kapotwe said they are making efforts to get more sponsors.

“Last year Agribank donated a kit, T-shirts and some cash and promised to continue working with us. The bank’s local leadership ran around and mobilised resources and have given us $10 000 this year which will go towards affiliation fees,” said Kapotwe, a local businesswoman with interests in fishing, construction and the transport business.

She has previously sponsored volleyball and netball tournaments in Binga besides forming a boozers’ social soccer club a few years ago.

She appealed to well-wishers, especially from the tourism and fisheries sectors in Binga, to support the community club.

“We had paid $5 000 on our own. Agribank have promised to work with us and we only pray that the current economic situation won’t affect those plans, but we are happy that the bank continues to partner us.

“As a club we don’t have sponsors, hence we have been struggling. We have been self-funding the club as leadership and I have personally financed some of the things.

“We appeal for donations because this is a community club. We are trying hard to get sponsors,” said Kapotwe.

Meanwhile, Kapotwe revealed that the club had suspended training and released its 22 players from camp in the face of Covid-19.

She said training will resume on May 4 depending on the state of the coronavirus pandemic.

Binga Pirates is the only club from Matabeleland North’s Zambezi Riverside district to play in Division One.

The team is the second to qualify from Division Two in Binga after Lunda FC, who opted out three years ago due to funding challenges. — @ncubeleon