Zimpapers Logo

The massive deal will also benefit police outfit Black Mambas who are the third team to be sponsored by BancABC in the domestic Premiership.
Dynamos, Highlanders and Mambas have already been kitted with Adidas strips for this season, which are also branded with the BancABC logo.
The bank also takes care of the players’ salaries for both DeMbare and Bosso as well the travel and accommodation costs for all the teams they sponsor.
There was a refreshing sight of the Dynamos players and management at the Harare international airport last month, shortly before their departure Mozambique for a Champions League assignment, with the Glamour Boys clad in branded BancABC branded designer suits.
As part of efforts to bring a professional touch to the manner in which the clubs they sponsor are run, BancABC also secured Adidas tracksuits and caps for the teams.
And the DeMbare contingent could easily be identified as a unit as they made their way into Gwanzura last Saturday to watch bitter city rivals CAPS United take on Chicken Inn in a league assignment.
In the past DeMbare rarely resembled a team when travelling with players wearing different forms and colours of t-shirts, tracksuits and sweaters.
But thanks to their sponsors the popular Hare side, the last team still standing on the continental safari, are matching what any other professionally run club has been doing.
BancABC, who have stuck with DeMbare despite constant boardroom problems at the volatile club, also bailed out Dynamos once their delegation to Maputo had encountered problems related to the poor reception they received from Liga Muculmana ahead of their first round, first leg tie which eventually ended 2-2.
The bank took over all expenses related to the food for the travelling party.
While the relationship between the club and their sponsors has been cemented, it is set to scale new heights following revelations that BancABC are in talks with Adidas for the international kit supplier to provide replicas that would be sold to the Dynamos fans.
The deal will also cover Bosso and Warumwa Warumwa fans and the initiative by the financial institution should also be welcome news for the Dynamos and Highlanders supporters who have had to buy the blue of Chelsea and Orlando Pirates’ black and white replicas respectively.
Interestingly Dynamos and Highlanders have the biggest support base in the country and the BancABC deal could not have come at a better time given the passionate manner that these two giants are supported.
BancABC head of marketing Cynthia Chizwina, last night confirmed that the bank had sought to provide the replicas as another avenue to improve the teams’   revenue inflows.
Apart from the BancABC financial assistance, DeMbare and Bosso largely rely on gate revenue to remain viable.
Chizwina said she was hopeful that the replica kits could start landing in the country by June.
“What I can say from the bank’s point of view at the moment is that we are negotiating with an international kit supplier to have replica jerseys which the supporters can wear.
“The idea is not just for Dynamos but all the teams that are sponsored by BancABC. We would also want the kits to be sold at a reasonable price. All we are doing is simply try to uplift the local game and try and match the standards that we see on the international stage.
“At the same time the teams will also benefit from the sale of the replicas. We have seen it with teams in Europe and in South Africa where supporters of clubs like Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates go to the stadiums clad in their teams’ official replicas.
“Obviously these are top of the range products and once the deals are concluded, it will take a bit of time before they get here,’’ Chizwina said.
Dynamos and Bosso fans had been hoping to put on L-Sporto replica jerseys before a deal to bring the kits from the Italian supplier collapsed.
Both giants also tried to flirt with a deal to have Adidas tops provided by a local company Xylocom but both the DeMbare and Bosso executives were not comfortable with certain clauses in the contacts and the deal collapsed.
This has left fans at Rufaro and Barbourfields often resorting to the blue of Chelsea for DeMbare and the black and white of Orlando Pirates for Bosso.