Rea Vaya, Street Set, Dube Strikers speak on 2024 season

THE Bulawayo Province Women’s football league, which recently concluded was full of lessons, victories, surprises and stories of success to tell for the seven teams that competed.

Rea Vaya was promoted to the first division after winning 11 out of 12 games in their league campaign.

Danny Ndlovu, who is the head coach of Rea Vaya, said the 2024 season was a fantastic one for him and his team.

“2024 gave us a fantastic season in which we also gave our all from the beginning until the end. The most important part was studying our counter-parts’ ways before the league began. That’s how we managed to overcome them and we’re hoping to give out double efforts next season as we join the Division One League,” said Ndlovu.

He added: “The key priority is to stay on track by ticking all the boxes before the league begins. We want to ensure a seamless 2025 journey. Building on the success of our pre-season preparations this year, we’re aiming to take significant strides forward.

“Our goal is to help the girls adapt quickly and easily, so we’re already in talks with other Division one and Division two teams to bolster our squad, I’m happy about the prospect of bringing in new talent to enhance our existing team dynamics.”

Ndlovu also mentioned that as a team, they will be launching their new look next month and that they are committed to professionalising their image.

“We are committed to presenting a professional image. We believe that looking good can boost confidence and enhance performance. With that in mind, we’re thrilled to announce the launch of our new look this December. “We are taking a holistic approach to our growth, focusing on both our on-field skills and our visual identity. By doing so, we’re confident that we will be well-prepared for the challenges ahead and make a lasting impact in the league,” said Ndlovu.

Ndlovu is confident in his team’s performance and readiness for next season as they take a leap into the Division one league.

“We are going there to play and pass to the next level. It’s possible as it has already been done, it won’t be easy, but we believe with the right support and hardworking players we can achieve it,” said Ndlovu.

Streetset’s director,Lee Mangena said that his team had prepared well for the just ended season by participating in a number of friendlies where they won numerous games.

“Streetset came into the league having been relegated from the first division. We were the favourites to win the league and its sole ticket to the first division, we prepared well and beat everyone in pre-season friendlies.

“When the season kicked off, we went four games unbeaten, some key players then left the country, and others went to boarding school and our wheels came off. We lost four games, drew twice and won five times, which was not bad for a team surviving on a shoestring budget.

“We finished third with most of our players becoming household names like Louis ‘Plumtree’ Moyo a utility player, Faith Sibanda a goal minder and Delight Gudhuza who stopped playing at halfway stage and still finished second on the scoring charts,” said Mangena.

Mangena said that their goal in the next season will be to widen their fundraising base.

“Next season, for us to succeed, we need to expand our fundraising base and open a little enterprise. For example, this year we got Faith Sibanda, Louis Moyo, Nomathemba Mbuzini, Sandile Ncube and Nomasonto Ncube on industrial job training. They are now experienced panel beaters,” said Mangena.

Streetset finished third ahead of Dube Strikers who concluded on position four.

Thembumenzi Sibanda, who is the coach at Dube Strikers, said his charges tried their best especially in the second half of the season.

“We tried our best as a team, we played well in the second half of the season since it was our first time to rub shoulders with experienced coaches and players. We are looking forward to next season and hoping to keep our players as well so that we won’t start from scratch.“As a team, we are mostly proud of our director Rumbidzai Matambanadzo, for doing everything for us and encouraging the girls to keep pushing. We hope to find sponsors who will show love to the girl child and support her in everything,” said Sibanda.

Sibanda was deservedly crowned best coach in the league.

“I won an individual award for Most Outstanding Coach of the Season and our goalkeeper Nokholo Moyo clinched the Outstanding Goalkeeper of the Season award, which is more encouraging to our girls.

“Everyone is going to put in more effort so they can also win such awards next season,” said Sibanda.