Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
PREMIER Soccer League champions Simba Bhora are proving to be the ultimate sponsorship magnet in the top-flight after sealing yet another deal worth US$500 000 for the upcoming season from Surge Energy Drink.
The one-year marriage, which will see Simba Bhora carrying their new sponsors’ logo on the front of their shirts, would be stretched beyond the 2025 term if the partners see it fit to do so.
Surge Energy Drinks are coming as a direct replacement for the Shamva club’s main sponsors for the 2024 season, Pacific Storm, who have now stepped aside.
Club president Simba Ndoro yesterday said the new deal will help complement the sponsors who are already on board and will boost the team in their quest to defend the league title.
The financial injection will also go a long way in cushioning coach Joel Luphahla’s team when they plunge into the CAF Champions League in about four months.
Apart from seeking to defend their Premiership title, Simba Bhora, will also be chasing glory in the Chibuku Super Cup and the biggest inter-club competition in Africa, the Champions League.
“I am very happy to see Surge Energy Drink coming on board to sponsor Simba Bhora. I am very humbled by this gesture, and I am sure it will help us as a team in a long way.
“Look, we are an ambitious team fighting for the right to be counted. We have won the league, and it needs to be defended.
“We failed to win the Chibuku Super Cup, and we need to try and win it. We will be fighting to make an impact in Africa when we represent the country in the CAF Champions League,” said Ndoro.
“We are very happy as a team to be in this healthy partnership, and we are very hopeful for the future. We already have a lot of other sponsors, and the coming in of Surge Energy Drink will boost us even further.
Ndoro reckoned that his club’s ability to attract many sponsors comes from their professionalism.
“I think we are a professional team with no controversies whatsoever; that’s why we attract sponsors.
“We have a team of dedicated cadres who always ensure that we keep our reputation intact. I am grateful to each of them and to the sponsors who chose to associate their brands with us.”
Simba Bhora could get their first silverware of 2025 when they engage Dynamos in the Castle Challenge Cup on Saturday.
And Luphahla has hailed his ensemble for their flexibility and positivity ahead of their first game, the Castle Challenge Cup against Dynamos on Saturday.
“This is a new team altogether . . . It’s not like how they were last season. So, we have been working on a number of combinations, and I am happy with the way these boys have gelled.
“I am particularly happy that we don’t have individual stars here,” said Luphahla.
“The players are very attentive to instructions. They try to grasp every concept that you give them, and that is exactly what is making me happy.
“I am very optimistic and happy. I am one coach who puts a lot of pressure on himself to try and improve.
“I know that the pressure will take the best out of me. I never thought my first game for Simba Bhora would pit me against Dynamos. But it’s here now.
“I know the game will be tough, but we are ready to give out our best. We have a job here to do, and we want to win the Castle Challenge Cup at the end.
“Simba Bhora are expecting a lot from this group, and I am happy the group is carrying a positive attitude,” he said.
