Matobo FC president, Khangelani Dube, has appealed for financial support from potential sponsors, saying the club is struggling to survive after its main source of funding, a local mine, experienced operational difficulties that have affected its income.
The club, based in Maphisa, Matabeleland South has grown from a small social football initiative into a First Division side.
However, in an interview with CITE, Dube said financial constraints have left the team battling relegation despite the abundance of football talent in Matobo District.
Dube said the club was established with the aim of giving young people an opportunity to develop their football talent and pursue careers in sport.
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“When I first created the team, it started off as social games in Matopo. We started doing social games amongst the young children. I then moved to Maphisa. When I got to Maphisa, I also found young children who were interested in soccer as well, and we then started a soccer team,” he said.
Dube explained the team’s first sponsorship came from a local mine, allowing the club to grow and compete at a higher level.
“We were receiving money to sponsor the team through a mine called Amazon. We then called the team Amazon. We found more people who were interested in playing soccer and the team grew bigger,” he said.
As interest in the club increased, Dube said the team progressed through the football ranks before adopting a name that represented the entire district.
“We moved from social games. People from Filabusi came, including Bulawayo and the team grew bigger. We then registered it to Division Two in the Central Region, and we played for one season. We then got into Division One, and this was in 2019. We then changed the name to Matobo FC so as to incorporate everyone,” said the club president.
Dube said the club’s primary objective has always been to provide opportunities for young people through sport.
“My main aim is to encourage young people to do sports because sports like soccer can be something that can help to feed your family in the long run. We have noticed that in our area in Matopo there is a lot of talent, and what we are short of is people that can take their talent and put them into a better position so as to get better opportunities,” Dube said.
Despite competing in the First Division over the past two seasons, Dube said the club is now facing financial difficulties that have affected its performance.
“We played last year and this year in this First League, and right now we are at the relegation stage because right now we don’t have money. The mine that we were depending on is not generating enough money because there has been a lot of rain that has damaged it,” he said.
He said the mine previously supported both the football club and members of the local community.
“When everything is well, some will work at the mine and live off what they produce, and some will come and opt to play soccer only,” he said.
Dube said the mine’s operations have remained difficult for several months, making it impossible for it to continue fully supporting the club.
“For the past four months business has not been doing well because the shafts in the mine have been difficult to open. But even when they open, it still will not be enough to support the team. That’s why we are looking for sponsors to come and help,” he said.
Speaking about the team’s current structure, the club president said they had 26 registered players and continued to recruit new talent.
“Those who want to join the team can register with our secretary, Mr Phiri whose number is 0773913512 or 0714496525,” Dube said.
He said players receive signing fees, monthly salaries and performance-based bonuses to help support themselves and their families.
“We then have a settlement fee that we give to them, a player salary and a bonus fee for winning. Our settlement fee is usually US$200 and we usually pay our lowest player US$100 a month. If they win games we give them a bonus fee of US$30,” Dube said.
“We give them talks to win games and if they win three consecutive games we raise it to US$50. Their performance usually determines how much winning bonuses they will get. This can help feed the players’ family at home.”
Dube encouraged aspiring footballers interested in joining the club to travel to Maphisa for assessment before registration.
“If someone wants to join they would have to come to Maphisa. We see how he plays, then we can get him into the team. If one wants to join they can also get hold of our secretary,” he said.
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