adminEllina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
MASHONALAND West Province are hoping to take their hockey programmes to another level when they launch their five-aside league this month.The league is scheduled to start on May 17 and will run up to August, with clubs playing once a month in the competitive league.
Previously, they have had social events, but they are now hoping to formalise their programmes this year and the league will culminate in the application for full membership in September at the Hockey Association of Zimbabwe annual meeting.
Eight teams from the province are expected to take part in the league, which will be played at different venues on a rotational basis between May and July in the province.
The teams are Roots Hockey Club (Banket), Chegutu Hockey Club, Kadoma Hockey Club, Chinhoyi University of Technology and Chinhoyi Sports Club, while Lomagundi College will provide three teams.
The opening matches will be played at Lomagundi College on May 17 before the teams converge on Chegutu at Bryden School on June 21.
On July 26 the teams will be at Banket Primary School and the venue for the last round matches will be announced in due course.
The matches will be played on a round robin basis at each meeting, with the crowning of provincial champions at the end of the season.
HAZ vice president Humphrey Chigwedere said the league will see the province selecting a 20-member team to represent them at the Inter-provincial tournament in September.
“The league is going to run for four months from May up to August, but we will be meeting once a month. We will be alternating the venues.
“We are going to decide on the fourth venue where we will have the selection of a provincial team for the Inter-provincial tournament.
“We have basically decided to play once a month so that it becomes manageable,” said Chigwedere.
The province is also expected to put in place a substantive executive during the course of the season for them to be able to apply for full membership to HAZ.
“During the course of the season we are going have a meeting to choose an executive because when they apply to the national association they should have a substantive executive.
“Previously, it was social, but from the point of view of HAZ we have said provinces have to structure themselves properly because the Sports and Recreation Commission are saying national associations should properly constitute their provinces,” said Chigwedere.
The HAZ vice-president said currently they have four provinces that are properly constituted and active — Bulawayo, Harare, Mashonaland Central and Masvingo — and the move by Mashonaland West is a welcome development.
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