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Nkosilathi Sibanda
NEWLY-FORMED Gwanda Pirates are keen to make an impact in the beautiful game’s terrain.
The team will play in the Zifa Matabeleland South Division Two this year and they want to bring back professional football to the mining town. The team, established in January was officially launched last Sunday.
In their quest to add on football action in Gwanda, the team wants to help fight drug and substance abuse. The team has employed Yolamu Ngwira as the head coach. Ngwira is a former Chrome Stars player.
He will be assisted by ex-Bantu Rovers player, Mduduzi Maphosa, with the other assistant being Elias Tsabalaka who once played at Railstars and Mbabane Pirates in Swaziland. The motivation behind the establishment of the team was from the need to give talented youngsters a chance to get off the streets, said the chairman Guqukani Mpofu.
“We were motivated by the love of the game and the hunger of young people who want to play football. We want to create unity among the people of Gwanda through football and most importantly, we wanted to fight the fast growing abuse of drugs in the community, by keeping young people busy,” said Mpofu.
He said it was their intention to lure only unheralded young talent.
“The idea is to have a squad with a lot of young people and groom talent, which will go places in the sport. We want young people to believe in the sport again.”
Mpofu said their hunting ground will be the grand old Phelandaba Stadium but, in the meantime they will shift to Gwanda Prison Grounds. For a team that is just starting out, teething problems surrounding sponsorship are bound to surface. Mpofu said they need all the support they can get.
“We are yet to get sponsors and we appeal to everyone to help us grow this dream. At the moment we have young people who started this team, chipping in the form of contributions, which we do every week in order to sustain our activities. So far, we have managed to buy three sets of kits, as we anticipate to play and go for glory starting this season in Division Two in Matabeleland South.
“We are looking forward to buying each player, playing boots and travelling kits.”— @NkosieLegend
Online Reporter