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Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
ZIFA Southern Region Division One side, Mosi Rovers, from Victoria Falls has embarked on a membership mobilisation drive in an attempt to attract sponsorship.
Club secretary, Mduduzi Dlodlo said although the team is ready for the new season on the field of play, the club might have difficulties sustaining it throughout the season due to huge financial requirements, including referees’ fees.
Dlodlo said the club had extended a begging bowl to the corporate world while at the same time also appealing to football enthusiasts in the resort town to support it through membership.
“We’re in a membership drive where we’re engaging soccer enthusiasts and also talking to companies in Victoria Falls to support the club,” said Dlodlo.
“The new referees’ fees are very steep and for community clubs like us, it will be difficult to meet them. A random draft shows that we will need about $500 per match just to cater for referees and that is too much for a community club. So we are appealing to the corporate world for help,” he said.
He said the centre referee this year is entitled to $100 per match, while his two assistants are to be paid $80 each. The match commissioner fee is also $100 and this excludes transport.
Dlodlo said Mosi Rovers are disadvantaged because referees will be travelling from Hwange for home matches, which makes it expensive for the club, as it will be responsible for the welfare of match officials
“Most of our referees come from Hwange and that becomes expensive for us because we have to cater for their transport. As clubs, this is something we need to strongly engage in as it will likely dampen spirits because most of us are not sponsored,” said Dlodlo.
He said apart from the financial demands, the club is itching for the new season, which is set to kick-off at the end of this month.
“We’ve fully affiliated to the region and attended pre-season workshops. On the field of play we lost four players to Casmyn and Hwange FC but we managed to retain 90 percent of our players and also found four replacements,” he said.
Dlodlo said the club beefed up its squad according to coaches’ recommendations and they are likely to add two more new names before the season starts, as negotiations are still ongoing with a club he declined to mention.
Having survived relegation in the past two seasons when the club finished 12th in both seasons, Mosi Rovers know they have to do better in their third season this year.
Dlodlo said this season they are not going to add numbers, but fight to keep football in the resort town.
Mosi Rovers will play ZPC Hwange this Sunday in what could be their last friendly match before the season starts. — @ncubeleon
Online Reporter