Lower league clubs honoured

Old Nic Mine FC chairman Jotham ‘Big Joe’ Moyo (second from right) and his captain Esau Saka (second from left) pose with their Zifa Bulawayo Province Division Two runners up shield at YWCA on Sunday. Looking on from left are Richard Mutasa of Buymore Investments, Zifa Southern Region chairman Morgan Dube, Zifa Bulawayo Province chairman Horace Ndubiwa and Old Nic Mine FC secretary Onismo Mutambara

Sports Reporter
ZIFA Southern Region Division One Soccer League bound Portland Cement and Old Nic Mine were yesterday presented with medals at a ceremony organised by the Zifa Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Division Two and sponsored by Buymore Investments.
Portland Cement won the Zifa Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Division Two Soccer League with Old Nic Mine runners-up and will be joined by Zifa Matabeleland North representatives Kabwe Warriors of Hwange and Victoria Falls’ Trumus FC in Division One.

Zifa president Cuthbert Dube owns Buymore Investments, a company that has been supporting provinces financially and recently presented computers, printers and scanners to each of the 10 provinces.
Clubs and Area Zone leagues received balls.

Speaking on behalf of Dube, Richard Mutasa, challenged Portland Cement and Old Nic Mine to challenge for honours in Division One.
“Congratulations for doing well in your province and now that you are moving away from this developmental league, it is high time that you make adequate preparations and go to the Division One Soccer League to challenge for a Premiership slot. We don’t want you to be Division Two specialists but we want you to be counted among the big boys in Zimbabwean soccer.

“It is our hope as Buymore Investments that some of the players that have led you to Division One in future represent the country in different age-groups,” said Mutasa. Portland Cement have reportedly started preparing for life in Division One.

Old Nic Mine are also hoping to play their home games at their base near Killarney with their chairman Jotham “Big Joe” Moyo optimistic that their company would continue supporting them.

“We are happy with the support that we have been getting from our company and now that we are in Division One, our aim is to become the third company club after Hwange and How Mine to be promoted into the Premiership. It might sound ambitious but we know that with a good support structure like the one that we were getting in Division Two it is possible to realise the dream.

“I am sure the people of Old Nice Mine would want to see their team going all the way to the Premiership and I want to say we are not coming to Division One just to make up numbers but to compete against the best,” said Moyo.