Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
MUTARE City Rovers are catching them young as they assemble a squad made up of players under the age of 25 ahead of the 2026 Pacific Storm Eastern Region Division One season.
The team has an appealing plan to prioritise youths from the suburbs the local authority draws its revenue.
The former Castle Lager Premiership outfit was among the top teams in domestic football in 2016 and 2018, but on both occasions, failed to stand the heat in the kitchen.
Come 2026, Gusha Bhora, as Mutare City Rovers are affectionately referred to by their fan base, mainly fellow local authority employees, they are keen on building a competitive outfit capable of fighting for a top four finish, while winning the Pacific Storm Eastern Region Division One League championship will be a bonus.
Acting general manager for Mutare City Council elite sports clubs, Johannes Kwangwari, said for Mutare City Rovers FC, they are aiming at assembling a very competitive team that may give them a top four finish.
The local authority has Mutare City Rovers in the Pacific Storm Eastern Region Division One, Mutare City Queens FC playing in the Eastern Region Women’s Division One League, and Mutare City Queens netball team in the Premier Netball League.
Kwangwari said they have made a deliberate move to recruit players from youths around Mutare and other parts of Manicaland as a way of giving back to the very community that they owe their existence to.
“We have made it clear that all we want is to assemble a competitive outfit. We need to come up with a team that will remain unpredictable on the field of play. We do not want to be pushovers or league punching bags. We need a team that can be intimidating, one that can beat any team in the league on any given day. This will help us attain a top four finish. If we happen to win the league championship, that would be a bonus for us.
“Remember, we are coming from an era where we had to build a completely new team. At the same time, we also want to give back to the very community that we owe our existence to. To that end, we will prioritise players that are under 25 coming from Mutare communities, and possibly other parts of Manicaland. That, however, does not mean we will not have even a single player from other places or players above 25. The position is that those who come from other places and are above 25 will have to be really good and remain few, possibly four or five,” said Kwangwari.
