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Zimpapers Sports Hub
BULAWAYO City Football Club chairman Jerry Sibanda says they are not regretting their decision to forgo staging a strong challenge for the Premier Soccer League ticket.
“We want to wean ourselves off BCC funding. Football must fund itself; that is what we believe at our club,” said Sibanda.
Bulawayo City were relegated from the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League in 2022.
The club decided to play in the Bulawayo Province Division Two League. This was after the Bulawayo City board and executive realised that without good funding, we could not compete with the other clubs in Division One.
“It was a brave and wise decision to openly admit that we could not compete with other clubs for money and other resources. We sat down and resolved that concentrating on young players and investing in their football and life future is the way to go.
“It has been an exciting journey with some of the kids, some of whom we have had from the age of 12 and are now 19 and 20. We are working on a model where we want the sale of players to be the cornerstone of the club funding. We have dedicated coaches who are patient with the young kids, and soon we will be the go-to club for fresh talent,” said Sibanda.
He said after a year in Division Two, they decided to give their players a lift by getting them to play Division One football.
“Division One football is intriguing and gives the boys that challenge that separates men from boys, the travel, and the physical nature of the game. We were happy that in 2024 the boys acquitted themselves well for a top-eight finish despite their youth. There is a future for Bulawayo football,” said Sibanda.
Bulawayo City are basking in the glory of having made their first sale. Striker and Zifa Southern Region Division One top marksman Mbongeni Minezhi moved to Scottland who will be the PSL newboys this year.
“It’s been a milestone and great breakthrough for the club. Ever since we went full swing in junior player development, we have some exciting players in our ranks worth giving a trial,” said Sibanda.
Minezhi was offered to Bosso90 in 2023 and was never used in the whole season spent there.
“We have Highlanders, the player, and he was discarded by their development wing. Bulawayo teams were non-committal in negotiations for the player. There came Scottland and spoke football business beyond this single transaction,” said Sibanda. He could not be drawn to revealing the finer details of the deal.
