The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
INYATHI Sports Ground in Mpopoma is set to come alive today as Mayihlome Rangers celebrates lifting the Bulawayo Social Soccer League 2018 Champions of Champions Trophy.
The ceremony will see the team being officially presented with the trophy while players fete on a steer that has been donated by the team’s sponsor, Levi Mayihlome (Rtd Brigadier General)
After coming out tops in the BSSL Pool B, Rangers went on to face 70 Combination who had clinched Pool A in the Champions of Champions final and they emerged victorious with an emphatic 3-0 win.
Mayihlome said he was excited about the side’s victory considering they are only four years old in the league.
“For us it is quite a feat because no team from Mpopoma has lifted the trophy in close to 30 years so to have been formed just four years ago and then become champions shows the hard work that we have put in.
“It is a sign of commitment and unity among the players as we managed to blend older players who normally play in the boozers with young players, to take them out of the streets to make the squad while the team leadership has also been exceptional,” he said.
Mayihlome, who runs Mpopoma Bottle Store (ko-Thikili), said after leasing the shop from Ingwebu they sponsored several teams before deciding to start their own.
He said community social responsibility has always been at the heart of their business hence the decision to later form a team based in the Mpopoma community.
Mayihlome urged other businesses to work with communities to take youths out of the streets while giving community members a platform to socialise and engage other.
“Sport is a uniting factor and I believe as businesspeople it is our responsibility to bring communities together. I have offered a steer for the team to braai as we celebrate the victory and Ingwebu has offered us 100 litres of opaque beer for the players.
“We also invited the local community leadership including the councillor, residents association and other business people and we are going to use the event to share ideas on how we can improve community relations,” added Mayihlome.
