The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
THE Bulawayo Amateur Football Association will this year introduce an Under-20 league to serve as a transition stage for juniors moving to higher leagues.
Addressing delegates at the association’s annual general meeting held last Saturday in the city, chairman Chris Mtungwazi said the league had been mooted last year and they are ready to implement it.
“We feel that age group is not catered for in football structures and believe it will provide a place where footballers mature and get ready for the top flight. At the moment there are few players who are graduating from juniors straight into senior teams leading to young players who are showing potential falling by the way side. Some players take time to develop and this league would suit them well. We have engaged several sponsors to fund that league, which we will only be able to announce once we have finalised the agreements,” he said.
Mtungwazi revealed that they are planning huge 60th celebrations for the Townshend and Butcher Trophy, which ranks among the oldest cup tournaments in the country.
He said they would be embarking on fundraising and awareness campaigns to conscientise football stakeholders of “the record breaking feat”.
“Bafa will ensure that Townshend and Butcher get due recognition for such an outstanding contribution to the development of football not only in Bulawayo but in Zimbabwe as a whole. There are a few companies that have remained committed to funding football for such a long period. If we were to write the Townshend and Butcher Trophy history I think it would tell a big football story on its own as it holds so much memories and has been with Bafa as it evolved into what it is today,” said Mtungwazi.
Bafa has also managed to secure sponsorship for a season opening tournament named the Auto Quip Chairman’s Trophy which will involve all teams and whose modalities are still being finalised.
Mtungwazi said the Edgars Group will be renewing their sponsorship for the 2017 season and would offer the league a floating trophy and medals for the top three teams. The Bafa chairman said they were still hounded by the failure of teams to fully pay their affiliation fees something which he said has become a thorn in the flesh.
