More cheer for BF fans, Bosso applies for stadium liquor licence

HIGHLANDERS have engaged the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) for use of the lounge at the VIP section of Barbourfields Stadium on a long-term lease agreement, so that they can apply for a liquor licence to enable alcohol to be sold at the giant facility, Chronicle Sport has been briefed.

PSL requires clubs who wish to generate income through the selling of alcohol to apply for liquor licences issued by the Liquor Licencing Board to get the green light to sell alcoholic beverages in their home grounds.

Mhondoro-based Ngezi Platinum Stars, who own Baobab Stadium, are one such football club that sells alcohol in their stadium.But, for a club such as Bosso, who do not own Barbourfields Stadium, the process to acquire the liquor licence is a bit complex, as explained by club chief executive officer, Sihlangu Dlodlo.

“For starters, BCC owns Barbourfields Stadium, so we have engaged the local authority to secure the lounge at the VIP section on a long-term lease to then enable us to apply for a liquor licence to sell alcohol in the stadium. Remember, as a club we can only sell alcohol when we host games at BF, so the process of applying for the liquor licence is work in progress.

“I don’t have a timeline as to when the process will be complete, but I can say that we have agreed in principle with BCC to get the lounge at BF on a long-term lease,” said Dlodlo.
In the interim, alcohol is strictly prohibited at BF, with security details conducting thorough searches on all fans entering the stadium.

There has been talk of disagreements in the Bosso executive, with rumours swirling around that some individuals were pushing for their proxies to apply for the liquor licence to sell alcohol at Barbourfields, something that Dlodlo dismissed as untrue.

“It’s not an individual who applies for the liquor licence in their personal capacity, but it is Highlanders as an institution that is governed by the rules and regulations of the Premier Soccer League. As the chief executive officer, it boils down to me as the head of the secretariat to apply for the liquor licence on behalf of Highlanders Football Club because there are some requirements such as background checks on criminal records that are done on the person applying for the liquor licence as a representative of the club.

“It’s not true that there are individuals trying to apply for the liquor licence in their personal capacities, in as much as it’s impossible to use a liquor licence from another establishment at BF,” he explained.
Dlodlo said the club was also lobbying the PSL for contingency plans to be made for the provision of water into the stadium, in light of the non-availability of running water at Barbourfields.