The Bulawayo City Council will assist their newly-promoted Premier Soccer League (PSL) team to strengthen ahead of its participation in the topflight league next season.
BY FORTUNE MBELE Bulawayo City won the Southern Region Division One League title, claiming the sole ticket in that region to the elite league.
BCC director of housing and community services, Isaiah Magagula acknowledged that Bulawayo City Football Club had to scout for quality players to compete in topflight.
In the latest council report of the general purposes committee, Magagula noted that it was incumbent for the team to immediately start raising funds, adding they also needed to establish a clubhouse and offices for running the day-to-day club’s affairs in a professional manner.
“The director of housing and community services recalled that Bulawayo City Football Club was promoted to the Zifa First Division at the beginning of the year 2015,” reads part of report. “The club has done it again. It has been promoted to the Premier Soccer League after a year in the first division. It had to be noted, however, that this promotion came with a lot of expectations and expenses. First, it meant the team now had to scout for more quality players to stand the rigours of the Premier League division.”
Magagula said the team might also need to add to its technical staff.
“Secondly, this time around, the team will have to travel throughout the country for its matches. There might also be need to beef up the team management like the coaching department and so forth. What this promotion also meant was that the board had to work hard from the onset to raise funds for the team, and this had to start right now. Any ideas from all arms of council should be appreciated,” council minutes read.
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After they were officially crowned champions recently following their last match against Indlovu Iyanyathela, which they won 3-1 at Barbourfields Stadium, club chairman, Jerry Sibanda said there might be need to add six or seven players to beef up the team for the PSL challenge next year.
The council report added: “The team will also need to establish a club house and some offices and would be grateful if council could designate some facilities for these purposes for professional management of the team. Recommendations on these should soon be submitted to council. The team should also need to have a constitution to guide its operations and the chamber secretary’s department should be requested to assist in this regard.”
Bulawayo City lifted the Zifa Southern Region Soccer League title after only one season in the league with experienced coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube and a number of former PSL players taking the team to the country’s top flight league.
