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FC PLATINUM are set to be crowned domestic football champions for the fourth time in a row this afternoon in Zvishavane.
It is important to reflect on how this highly ambitious side has managed to sail through in their 11-year journey in topflight football, which has seen them relegating traditional giants Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United to the back benches.
It is not misplaced for the Zvishavane side to lay their claim as a Zimbabwean giant in their own right, for they have worked hard in a short space of time to earn their stripes. They have risen from being a social football team to becoming seasonal champions.
While many new clubs have come gone, some for good, the platinum miners have stood the test of time in the domestic Premiership. Their ambition now is to transform the club into a leading football brand on the African continent.
They have represented Zimbabwe in four CAF Champions League competitions and made two appearances in the CAF Confederation Cup.
But it is worth noting that the platinum miners did not turn champions overnight. In their debut season in 2011, they were pipped to the title by giants Dynamos on goal difference.
It took them six more seasons before they could land their hands on the coveted silverware. Perseverance and the football spirit that exists within their structures paid dividends.
FC Platinum won their first two league titles in 2017 and 2018 under Norman Mapeza.
Then Lizwe Sweswe delivered the third after replacing Mapeza, who had left for South Africa midway through the 2019 season.
Mapeza returned last year and continued from where he had left off, winning the team’s second Chibuku Super Cup in 2021 and then nailing the Castle Lager Premiership title in the current campaign.
It has definitely been quite a remarkable journey for a team coming from a small mining town in Zvishavane. FC Platinum have smashed several records with their success story.
The Zvishavane side have now equalled giants Dynamos and Highlanders as only the third team in the history of Zimbabwean Premiership football to win the title four times on the bounce.
Dynamos did it between the 1980 and 1983 seasons and repeated the feat between 2011 and 2014 under Callisto Pasuwa.
Bosso achieved their four-title feat at the turn of the millennium when they made the title theirs between 1999 and 2002.
FC Platinum are also the only team from outside Harare and Bulawayo to win the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title in Independent Zimbabwe.
They have been credited for their entertaining brand of football, which has also come with results.
Apart from the on-field achievements, FC Platinum have come across as a stable club in terms of administration.
Unlike the traditional giants where there are frequent boardroom squabbles, nothing of that sort has ever happened at FC Platinum. The management structures are sound and stable, and the club has a clear vision of what they stand for.
Under the direction of club president Fabian Mashingaidze, the executive committee led by Smartfin Techu has not disappointed.
They have been driven by a good scouting system, a vibrant developmental project, solid structures, and the will to maintain a winning culture.
Because of that FC Platinum have witnessed a growing supporter base, especially in the Midlands region.
FC Platinum have also presented themselves financially sound.
Many local players find the club employers of choice because of the stability.
The club, which was initially under the sponsorship of Mimosa Mining Company, has since been weaned off and is fully funded by FC Platinum Holdings, a limited company incorporated in January 2014 with the aim of supporting sporting activities within the Midlands province.
The club’s leadership has also gone beyond the borders in their quest to improve and grow their brand.
FC Platinum last year signed a landmark deal with Spanish La Liga side, Real Betis.
The partnership made FC Platinum an official associate partner of Real Betis and the areas of collaboration between the two clubs include strategic planning, the business of football, digital transformation and innovation as well as rationalising football post-Covid-19.
The benefits have been there for all to see.
Sound management and a deep commitment to develop the game. As they celebrate their milestone this afternoon, may all the local football clubs be inspired. Congratulations FC Platinum!
Online Reporter