Chronicle Editor
Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS are exploring various income-generating projects as traditional sponsorship continues to diminish due to the economic challenges that have been compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Covid-19 economic disruptions that have seen the country being under strict lockdown regulations for the greater part of last year, has left the business sector with no extra funds to channel towards sport and recreation sponsorship.
Presenting his report at the Highlanders annual general meeting last Sunday, club chairman Kenneth Mhlophe emphasised that it’s important for the country’s oldest football team to redefine its reality and find alternative initiatives of funding the lofty ideas the club has drafted over the years to become financially stable and self-fund its operations.
“Sponsors continue to diminish and are unlikely to make a return in the traditional sense we understand sponsorship. We thus, with the assistance of various arms of the local and national government, managed to apply for a special grant mining claim in a Government reserved area and secured the licence,” said Mhlophe.
“We are now at the stage of creating the vehicle that will proceed with the mining business that will be owned by the club.”
He thanked stakeholders that assisted in helping secure the claim and appealed to members to support the initiatives that could change the club’s fortunes financially and wean them off the traditional funding designs that have previously proved unsustainable.
Mhlophe also thanked former executive committee members, former players, former technical staff and service providers that wrote off debts owed to them by the club thereby helping Bosso retire its debit after a massive fundraising campaign led by Highlanders Supporters Club South Africa Chapter chairman Nodumo Nyathi and his team.
The money raised by Nyathi and his team was enough to clear the debt of about $1 million.
As part of the club’s cost cutting measures, Mhlophe also reported on the progress of revamping training grounds at the clubhouse that started last year, saying planting of lawn of two fields had been completed, while a quarter had been covered in the third pitch.
He said progress had been slowed down by “stops and starts” caused by lockdown restrictions but a borehole to water the fields had been drilled and more equipment is being sought to increase water storage and irrigation capabilities.
“Costs of completing the work and completely equipping the irrigation has in the meantime increased. We are finding means to meet all these changes without hampering progress achieved,” he said.
Mhlope reported that although they had done some repairs at the clubhouse, roof and pillar repairs were outstanding but a liquor company had committed to partnering with the club to spruce up the facility as soon as basic rehabilitation has been completed.
During the course of 2020, Mhlophe said Highlanders worked with organisations that amplify women’s voices and also help bring women closer to football under the Soccer4Her Campaign.
He said it was disheartening that despite football being a family sport, the number of women involved in the game was very small due to physical abuse at stadia, abusive language against women and the general stigma attached to women involved in football.
“These socially inclined activities were motivated by the fact that we are more than just a football club. They celebrate our co-extistence with the community because historically we have always had a good relationship with the community, which always sees us taking and not giving back.”
On technical matters, Mhlophe reported that the club had to release head coach Mark Harrison to avoid accruing financial liabilities following the suspension of all sporting activities at the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe.
Bosso, he said, has a full complement in the first team’s technical department after Mandla Mpofu was elevated to head coach assisted by Bekithemba Ndlovu, with Julius Ndlovu as goalkeepers’ coach and team manager Vezigama Dlodlo.
Harold Nachi was retained as a fitness trainer, with Loyal Nyika as a medic and Dr Shepherd Khumalo heading the medical department.
Mhlope congratulated Khumalo for successfully completing a Fifa Sports Diploma in Football Medicine course to become part of the few elite doctors with such a certificate in the Premier Soccer League.
He reiterated that the junior teams’ technical department is being restructured to meet the club’s development focus, talent identification and elite training methods as a direct response to guidelines from the first team coaches in the past two years.
“Gaps have been identified in the players promoted from our final development side into the first team. It is our view that to increase the number of young players that make it into the first team from the development process, their football education must be improved.
“A team headed by former son and technical manager Madinda Ndlovu as overally responsible for talent identification, training methods, coaches training and programme development has been created and all is agreed and awaits finalisation of sponsorship before the announcement,” Mhlophe said.
He said other coaches include Melusi Sibanda (Under-20), Siza Khoza (Under-18), Gift Lunga Jr (Under-16) and Daniel Ngwenya (Under-13).
Mhlope said the first team was yet to be completed but the coaches had identified players they wish to add to the squad and negotiations are still in progress.
Equipment for first team training was purchased through various initiatives and support from members, and besides the continuous need for match and training balls, the first team and juniors are adequately covered.
Online Reporter