Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
AT the end of 2017, Highlanders started the hunt for a media officer as the club sought to fall in line with club licensing regulations.
The search attracted interest from many hopefuls who applied for the job, but after a lengthy search that ended in May 2018, Bosso settled for Ronald Moyo.
His name was not new in the sporting industry, having worked as a sports journalist at the Southern Eye newspaper and at Bantu Rovers.
Two years since taking up his role at the popular club, Moyo says he is enjoying doing what he called his “dream” job.
“Working for Highlanders is a dream come true. There is obviously no better feeling than serving an organisation you love so dearly. Highlanders is a very big brand, managing such a brand will obviously come with its own challenges, but most importantly, you learn,” said Moyo.
“ I have learnt a lot from this experience. It’s a privilege being part of a team driving the vision of a club of Highlanders’ stature,” he said.
Since his arrival at Bosso, the club’s digital footprint has improved vastly, with the club’s followers on all social media platforms rising from just under 18 000 in 2018 to over 60 000 at the moment.
The advent of social media has seen a rise in reliance on unofficial sources, making it critical for organisations to have official social media handles that state the official position of the organisation.
Part of his duties as the Bosso media officer involves developing and executing an adequate and integral communication plan for internal and external communications as well as fundraising activities and brand awareness.
“Basically my duty is to handle the club’s communication with its various stakeholders; that is the fans, the media, current and potential partners, and sponsors. I’m also expected to profile the club and it’s sub-brands, and at the same time profile the club’s relationship with partners and sponsors.
“In this position, one is required to work 24/7 because you are the eyes, ears and mouthpiece of the organisation,” he said.
Moyo said he has always had a passion for football.
“My passion for football started at a tender age. At that point I had a dream of playing the game at a professional level, but there was a point in my life where I had to accept that I was only passionate, but not good enough for that. I grew up following football, passionately supporting Highlanders, Orlando Pirates and Manchester United. I also had a soft spot for Real Madrid, although I later on discovered that I love FC Barcelona,” Moyo said.
Having studied media and society studies at Midlands State University, Moyo says the experience he gained as an intern was crucial to what he has achieved.
“My experience as an intern at Southern Eye on the Sports Desk under the guidance of Fortune Mbele and the late Wellington Toni furthered my passion for the game. I read a lot about football.
“At university everyone knew my passion for football in general, and Highlanders in particular, including my lecturers. It is one of my lecturers Dr Lyton Ncube who encouraged me to research about football.
“I remember submitting two research topics for my dissertation; the first one was about political communication and the second was on sport sociology, but without reading and allowing me to justify the first topic, Ncube approved the second one. I enjoyed researching and writing about something I loved. That’s when I started dreaming about venturing into football administration. I had a short, but very memorable stint with Bantu Rovers where I worked as a media officer under Methembe Ndlovu and Wilbert Sibanda in 2017. I learnt a lot,” he said. — @innocentskizoe
Online Reporter