The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube Sports Correspondent
AFTER “conquering” the Bulawayo Social Soccer League, Unity Village Football Club have opted to go professional by joining the Zimbabwe Football Association-affiliated league, the Bulawayo Amateur Football Association as they seek to turn over a new leaf. Unity Village team manager Martin Chigondo said after playing at social level for the past 10 years, and winning almost everything on offer at that level, they decided it was time for a new challenge hence their opting for Bafa.
Unity Village announced its entry into a more professional set-up at a ceremony at a local sports bar where they received two set of uniforms for their inaugural season in Bafa.
The home and away kits valued at $1 500 were donated by Lion West North Mining at a ceremony held at Archers Sports Club a fortnight ago.
The team was formed in 2004 and at its inception it was known as Unity Archers, and was an initiative of a number of businesspeople in Bulawayo who decided to create a football club as a tool for socialising.
Chigondo said they were happy to be participating in a professional league and that it was the beginning of bigger things to come for Unity Village as their intentions were not a prolonged stay in Bafa.
“Yes, we have been playing social soccer but we felt there was no challenge anymore in that area because we have been sweeping all the tournaments that are there, we needed a different challenge and going to a league that can catapult us into higher divisions is a good start,” said Chigondo.
Addressing the gathering during the presentation ceremony, Zifa vice-president Omega Sibanda, who is one of the founders of the club, challenged Unity Village to aim higher while at the same time grooming football administrators of repute.
He said it was not only good footballers that were likely to emerge from the set up but administrators should also aim for excellence, taking their talents to local, provincial and regional football structures.
Zifa Bulawayo Province chairman Washington Chimanda said Unity Village had everything to fight for now that Bafa was a promotional league where champions would get automatic entry into Division Three.
Bafa chairman Chris Mtungwazi said Unity Village should be ready to turn professional as they were entering a new arena that has strict rules to be followed unlike in the social league.
One unique element about the team is that despite being a social grouping, it has groomed several youngsters who are already knocking on the doors of Premiership clubs.
Twenty-one-year-old Edward Halungu is in the books of Hwange although he is yet to taste first team action; Nkosi Moyo is training with Caps United’s developmental side while Zibusiso Dlamini is on the verge of joining Bulawayo City FC’s Under-19 squad.
