Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA Southern Region Division One Soccer League clubs will stick to fixtures drawn last year, before the 2020 season was forced to a halt because of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
The league released fixtures to the clubs “long back”, with Zifa Southern Region board member Fiso Siziba who is responsible for the competitions portfolio saying issuing the league programme was meant to help teams plan.
Earlier release helps clubs plan for their away trips, formulate budgets so that they cover issues to do with transport as well as referees’ fees when they are playing at home.
In 2019, the season when Bulawayo City FC won the championship and the Premiership ticket, the Southern Region Division One Soccer League had 15 clubs. Only one club, Toronto FC from Pumula East in Bulawayo was relegated.
The Region welcomes back Hwange who were relegated from the topflight at the end of 2019.
For the coming season, 18 teams will compete for the championship.
Crestfallen former Premiership giants Zimbabwe Saints who are on a revival path were readmitted to the First Division last year after clearing all their arrears.
Saints have been in the football doldrums since 2016 when they were kicked out of the Zifa Southern Region Division One for failing to pay affiliation fees and not fulfilling three consecutive fixtures.
Chauya Chikwata will face stiff competition from clubs that include Talen Vision who go into the 2021 season among the favourites having been busy beefing up their squad with experienced players who include Zephaniah Ngodzo, Canaan Nkomo, Mengezi Dube and Mkhokheli Dube among others.
Hwange, Victoria Falls’ Mosi Rovers and perennial campaigners ZPC Hwange are sure to give Saints a good run in the second-tier league.
The other clubs that join clubs that were in the league in 2019 are Emakhandeni Pirates and Quality Foods from the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province as well as Trumus from Victoria Falls.
The 13 clubs that were in the league in 2019 after promotion of Bulawayo City to the Premiership and relegation of Toronto are Talen Vision, ZPC Hwange, Makomo, Indlovu Iyanyathela, Highlanders FC development side Bosso 90, Ciwu, Binga Pirates, Ajax Hotspurs of Mpopoma, goldminers Casmyn, Plumree’s Mainline, Mosi Rovers, armyside Motomoto, and Arenel.
Talen Vision open their season with a home tie against Trumus, while Zimbabwe Saints will be home as well to ZPC Hwange while the coalminers Hwange, who are hoping for a quick Premiership return start their campaign against Ciwu at the Colliery.
Southern Region Division One
Soccer League fixtures
Week 1: Ajax v Arenel; Binga Pirates v Bosso 90; Hwange v CIWU; Casmyn v Indlovu Iyanyathela; Mainline v Emakhandeni Pirates; Makomo v Mosi Rovers; MotoMoto v Quality Foods; Talen Vision v Trumus; Zimbabwe Saints v ZPC Hwange
Week 2: Indlovu Iyanyathela v Hwange; Arenel v Talen Vision; Trumus v Binga Pirates; Emakhandeni Pirates v Casmyn; Quality Foods v Makomo; Mosi Rovers v MotoMoto; CIWU v Zimbabwe Saints; ZPC Hwange v Mainline; Bosso90 v Ajax
Week 3: Mainline v CIWU; Binga Pirates v Arenel; Casmyn v Mosi Rovers; Zimbabwe Saints v Trumus; Ajax v Hwange; Bosso 90 v Emakhandeni Pirates; ZPC Hwange v Indlovu Iyanyathela; MotoMoto v Makomo; Talen Vision v Quality Foods
Week 4: Indlovu Iyanyathela v Ajax; Arenel Movers v MotoMoto; Trumus v Mainline; Mosi Rovers v Zimbabwe Saints; Quality Foods v Bosso 90; Emakhandeni Pirates v Talen Vision; CIWU v Binga Pirates; Makomo v Casmyn; Hwange v ZPC Hwange
Week 5: Binga Pirates v Makomo; Arenel v Trumus; Casmyn v Hwange; Zimbabwe Saints v Quality Foods; Bosso 90 v CIWU; Mainline v Indlovu Iyanyathela; MotoMoto v Emakhandeni Pirates; Talen Vision v Mosi Rovers; ZPC Hwange v Ajax
Week 6: Ajax v Quality Foods; Makomo v Indlovu Iyanyathela; Trumus v Emakhandeni Pirates; Mosi Rovers v Arenel Movers; Binga Pirates v Mainline; Hwange v MotoMoto; Zimbabwe Saints v Talen Vision; CIWU v Casmyn; ZPC Hwange v Bosso 90
Week 7: Arenel v Zimbabwe Saints; Emakhandeni Pirates v Binga Pirates; Talen Vision v ZPC Hwange; Casmyn v Ajax; Indlovu Iyanyathela v Bosso 90; Mainline v Mosi Rovers; MotoMoto v CIWU; Makomo v Trumus; Quality Foods v Hwange
Week 8: Indlovu Iyanyathela v Arenel; Quality Foods v Emakhandeni Pirates; CIWU v Talen Vision; Bosso 90 v Casmyn; Ajax v Mainline; Hwange v Makomo; Trumus v MotoMoto; ZPC Hwange v Mosi Rovers; Binga Pirates v Zimbabwe Saints
Week 9: Mainline v Bosso 90; Arenel v ZPC Hwange; Mosi Rovers v Trumus; Talen Vision v Hwange; Zimbabwe Saints v Ajax; Makomo v CIWU; Emakhandeni Pirates v Indlovu Iyanyathela; MotoMoto v Binga Pirates; Casmyn v Quality Foods
Week 10: Indlovu Iyanyathela v Quality Foods; Binga Pirates v Talen Vision; CIWU v Mosi Rovers; Bosso 90 v Arenel; Ajax v Trumus; Hwange v Emakhandeni Pirates; MotoMoto v Zimbabwe Saints; ZPC Hwange v Makomo; Casmyn v Mainline
Week 11: Arenel v CIWU; Quality Foods v ZPC Hwange; Trumus v Casmyn; Mosi Rovers v Binga Pirates; Mainline v MotoMoto; Makomo v Zimbabwe Saints; Emakhandeni Pirates v Ajax; Talen Vision v Indlovu Iyanyathela; Hwange v Bosso 90
Week 12: Binga Pirates v ZPC Hwange; Arenel v Casmyn; Trumus v Quality Foods; MotoMoto v Indlovu Iyanyathela; Makomo v Emakhandeni Pirates; Talen Vision v Bosso 90; Zimbabwe Saints v Mainline; CIWU v Ajax; Mosi Rovers v Hwange
Week 13: Quality Foods v Arenel Movers; Mainline v Talen Vision; Emakhandeni v Mosi Rovers; Casmyn v Binga Pirates; ZPC Hwange v CIWU; Indlovu Iyanyathela v Trumus; Ajax v MotoMoto; Hwange v Zimbabwe Saints; Bosso 90 v Makomo
Week 14: Arenel Movers v Mainline; Trumus v ZPC Hwange; Mosi Rovers v Quality Foods; CIWU v Indlovu Iyanyathela; Makomo v Ajax; MotoMoto v Bosso 90; Talen Vision v Casmyn; Zimbabwe Saints v Emakhandeni Pirates; Binga Pirates v Hwange
Week 15: Quality Foods v CIWU; Emakhandeni Pirates v Arenel Movers; Casmyn v Zimbabwe Saints; Bosso 90 v Mosi Rovers; Indlovu Iyanyathela v Binga Pirates; Mainline v Makomo; Hwange v Trumus; ZPC Hwange v MotoMoto; Ajax v Talen Vision
Week 16: Casmyn v ZPC Hwange; Arenel v Makomo; Emakhandeni Pirates v CIWU; Mainline v Hwange; Mosi Rovers v Ajax; Talen Vision v MotoMoto; Zimbabwe Saints v Indlovu Iyanyathela; Trumus v Bosso 90; Quality Foods v Binga Pirates
Week 17: Quality Foods v Mainline; Ajax v Binga Pirates; Hwange v Arenel; CIWU v Trumus; Indlovu Iyanyathela v Mosi Rovers; Makomo v Talen Vision; MotoMoto v Casmyn; Bosso 90 v Zimbabwe Saints; ZPC Hwange v Emakhandeni Pirates
— @ZililoR
Online Reporter