HIGHLANDERS Sports Club are mooting the return of sporting disciplines that made the institution a big one in the past, as they tackle their rebranding exercise in moving towards being licensed as a professional entity. Thandiwe Moyo Sports Correspondent
The move will see the basketball courts and netball courts at the Highlanders Clubhouse being refurbished to make way for the clubs which were previously under the Bosso brand, which chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede says have been squatting elsewhere. Gumede has confirmed the development.
“We are rehabilitating the basketball court so that the women’s team that plays in the Bulawayo Basketball Association League as Highlanders will make use of it as their home ground. We are also working on the netball courts which were being used by Sparrows,” he said.
Gumede said Sparrows had already bought four bags of cement and they had consulted former board member Dumisani Sandi who was responsible for the construction of the court to assist them in refurbishing it.
The former Zifa vice-president said they were hoping to get back the glory days at Highlanders when they had different sports codes within their brand.
Highlanders had both men and women’s basketball, football and netball, rugby, table tennis and darts teams.
“It is possible that we could have those (different sporting disciplines) return. Look at the clubs around the world that are the same age as us. They have other sporting disciplines with football taking centre stage,” he said.
Gumede said there were a number of changes that they are hoping to effect at the clubhouse which includes a perimeter wall to replace the fence that has since been vandalised.
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He said they were hoping to raise funds in the future through shows that will be held at the clubhouse.
The veteran football administrator said they were looking into the issue of Hotel California with some members saying the house had to be refurbished to hostel-like standards to accommodate players with two sharing a room.
Hotel California is a house in Luveve where players used to camp, acquired by Highlanders when Gumede was chairman.
“The executive does not have the mandate to say whether the house should be sold to take up other projects which had been sidelined, but they will take it to the members who will then make that decision,” he said.
Bosso are one of the few clubs in the country that have offices, a club house and other infrastructure.
