By Kelvin Kasiwulaya
Surely the gods of football are smiling upon Gweru-based privately owned Sheasham Football Club which received a US$ 50 000 donation from Glow Petroleum to help them kickstart their Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL) season early next year.
Sheasham qualified for the top league after winning the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Central Region Soccer League 2022 Championship title after outshining residents’ favorite team Telone.
Announcing the donation at the club’s fundraising dinner recently hosted at Gweru Polytechnic, Glow Petroleum Director Aaron Chinhara, said Sheasham needs support so that it cannot only shape the lives of the players but also of the community in that it operates.
“I would like to first congratulate you Sheasham for winning the Central Region Soccer League championship and also getting promotion into the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League. Your venture into football should shape society in a positive way,” Chinhara said.
“Your success should be reflected in the lives of your players as well as your fans. Sports is now a big business capable of changing the lives of many people. Let’s support this football immensely so that it grows to be a force reckoned with.”
Sheasham Club President, Clever Mandaza thanked Glow Petroleum for their kind gesture and promised to do well in the Premier Soccer League.
“I would like to thank Glow Petroleum for seeing the value in us as Sheasham. We are going into the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League where the costs of traveling and accommodation will be high. The competition will also be high but with this support from Glow Petroleum, we are capacitated and ready to compete,” Mandaza said.
“I want to promise you that we are going to be a force to reckon with in the top-flight league. We also carry the hopes and identity of the Central Region Soccer League so we are not going to disappoint. We know that the perception is that teams from the Central Region Soccer League get into the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League and get relegated after just a season but let us assure you that we are not going to be like that.”
Kit manufacturer George Mitchell also made a kit donation to Sheasham going into the 2023 season.
Defender Arnold Dirawu was named the Sheasham Player of the Season with Liberty Masveure scooping the Golden Boot award with 16 goals in the Central Region Soccer League.
Kudakwashe Matape was named the Most Disciplined Player while McDonald Mavuto was nominated the Most Improved Player. Physwel Madhazi got the Most Consistent Player accolade and Liberty Chirava got the Goalkeeper of the Season award. Dirawu got US$500 from Glow Petroleum while Mavuto received US$300.
Meanwhile, Glow Petroleum also gave US$10 000 to Gweru-based premiership side WhaWha to help them ease financial challenges in the remaining three matches of the season. @kasiwulaya1Â
