EXCITEMENT is building up at the country’s biggest football club, Dynamos, who are celebrating their 60th anniversary this year.
The Harare giants acknowledge they have flaws, which often threaten to even rip them apart.
The DeMbare hierarchy believes they should take advantage of the milestone to transform the Glamour Boys into a huge entity that is run as a business.
And winning the league title this year has become a top priority to putting the icing on the cake. DeMbare have put a 25-member steering committee led by business guru Denford Mutashu in place, not just to oversee the 60th anniversary celebrations, but to implement far-reaching reforms that will see the team record successes on and off the field of play. And the giants have poured over US$100 000 in the transfer market to give coach Herbert “Jompano’’ Maruwa’s charges a better chance of winning the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title this year.
DeMbare’s executive chairman, Moses Shumba, didn’t mince his words when addressing the club’s players last week.
“I am sure you are now all aware that as Dynamos Football Club, we are celebrating our 60th anniversary this year. The celebrations are unique and a lot has been set aside for those celebrations.
“We are the biggest team in this country and we are all supposed to know that. There are a lot of reforms being implemented by the steering committee that we put in place to oversee the 60th anniversary celebrations. But you, as players, have a duty to win the title this year,” he said.
“Winning the league title has become a priority as we want to make the celebrations perfect. I can assure you that we will see a changed Dynamos, a transformed Dynamos which operates as a business.
“The onus is yours. We are here to create an enabling environment for you as players. The board and executive as well as the steering committee for the 60th anniversary celebrations are running around to ensure everything is run well.
“So you, as players, should know your roles at the club. Your duty is to play the game, win matches and ultimately deliver the title as we want to have some perfect celebrations.
“I am sure you all agree with me that this is the year that we should really put our heads on the wall and fight for the badge.”
Captain Frank Makarati is in agreement.
“The unity of purpose being exhibited by this group is incredible. Everyone knows about the 60th anniversary celebrations and the need for us to spice it up by winning the league title,” said Makarati.
“We would like to be remembered as part of a trailblazing crop that helped spice up the club’s 60th anniversary commemorations. We are really excited as players to go into a season with such huge expectations.”
Meanwhile, chairman of the steering committee, Mutashu, revealed plans to acquire land for the Glamour Boys as part of the celebrations. Mutashu, who is also the Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers president, said the celebrations should mark a new beginning for the Glamour Boys, who for years have failed to turn their fame into fortune.
“The most significant programme that has been set aside by the committee includes getting land for Dynamos Football Club where we are going to house the Dynamos Village.
“We are currently seized with the necessary processes to ensure that we secure land for the club.
“We have already begun. We are reaching out to local authorities, to the Government and all concerned stakeholders to ensure that Dynamos acquire land of their own,” said Mutashu.
“We are very positive that we will be able to secure the land given the ongoing engagements that are currently taking place.
“We cannot overpromise and under-deliver but our focus is that at least we have the land. That is the priority at the moment. Once we secure the land, we will have consultations with the board, the executive and the sponsors and ensure that we have a Dynamos club house, a gymnasium and training facilities.”
Mutashu said all the 25-committee members will sign their contracts this week with a roadmap of the celebrations set to be held tomorrow.
“We will hold road shows, things like that. The committee members’ contracts have now been finalised and they will be signed this week so that we can get a clear roadmap which will be unveiled on Thursday (tomorrow).
“We will get clarity on several issues to do with the 60th anniversary celebrations. We are also looking at junior development. We will approach local town and rural authorities to ensure that we get facilities which will provide training. We want to ensure that each and every community has a Dynamos training centre,” he said.
“There are a number of interested stakeholders to this initiative.
“Another key result area that we have identified is to reduce costs while expanding our revenue channels so that the team is run as a business.
“Dynamos is a brand in the continent so we believe that we can set up, for example, a bottled water plant where even former players can get employed.
“We want to be realistic and we will concentrate more, at first at the products which you see at matches.” – The Herald
