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ONE of the great developments, which have happened in our football over the past decade, has been the re-emergence of clubs, based in mining towns, as a powerful force again.

FC Platinum, the first club from outside Harare and Bulawayo to win the league championship, in about half-a-century, have led the way, on that front.

The Zvishavane-based side, whose patron is President Mnangagwa, have won the last three league championships, and done reasonably well, in representing the country, in the CAF Champions League.

They have benefited from their professional approach to the game, which has seen them attracting some of the best players on the domestic scene, who are lured by the good benefits, which come with playing for the club.

Their dominance has pushed the traditional giants like Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United, who make up what is called the ‘Big Three’ of local football, into the shade.

Their never-say-die spirit was exhibited, in the last championship race two years ago, when they pursued CAPS United, right to the final game of the campaign, and defeated the Green Machine, to win the title.

Now, another club, whose roots are at a mining town in the heart of the Mhondoro-Ngezi rural areas, Ngezi Platinum Stars, are also flexing their muscles, and desperate to make their mark, on the domestic football scene.

Just like the officials at FC Platinum, the authorities at Ngezi Platinum are driven by their pursuit of excellence, built on a strong foundation of professionalism, and want to shake domestic football.

Like their counterparts in Zvishavane, who invested heavily in giving Mandava Stadium a facelift, the officials in Ngezi have also transformed Baobab Stadium into a modern football ground.

They are now considering building a village, for the club, where the players and officials can stay, in an environment where they will be using modern facilities, to improve the quality of their team.

This week, the club president, Stanley Segula, who is a leading business executive, revealed their mission is to try and transform the club into the Mamelodi Sundowns of Zimbabwean football.

For that dream to come true, Segula said they want the club to have the financial muscle, to even bring in Brazilian players, to play into the domestic Premiership.

This has made them take a different approach, to the way they have been running the club in the past, and now they want their commercial wing to be just as important as the results which come from the pitch.

Segula’s vision appears to be similar to the one which Harare businessman, Nhamo Tutisani, has at CAPS United.

“If you look at those global football clubs, we are talking of big business. They make money all round, be it from advertisements, kit supply deals, player sales, among other things, but if you look at our own set-up, those areas are still weak,” said Segula.

“We have not done what ought to be done.

“But, we are saying we can also do it. We have actually formed a commercial division, whose mandate is to look at those areas.

“They are meant to deliver the financial muscle that should be able to sustain our team, I will tell you, at the moment that, in the next two years, Ngezi Platinum will be fully commercial.

“We want to be the Mamelodi Sundowns of Zimbabwe which can attract Brazilians into their team. We have a commercial arm, Glenrise which basically funds about 80 percent of the club’s financial requirements so we are very strong there and we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that financial sustainability of the club is attained.

“We also acknowledge that football is now very much scientific, and having an analyst is very necessary, as it is good for the technical team.

“We are results-driven and, like I have said, our key objective is sustainable development of Zimbabwean football.’’

It’s refreshing that, even in this tough environment where Covid-19 has complicated issues, on a number of fronts, we have some leaders, in the various spheres of our society, desperate to make a difference.

A group of men, and women, who have refused to be buried by the challenges, brought by the pandemic, but have been fighting in the trenches, to make a difference, for their communities, in particular, and the country, in general.

They are not mourning, like others who are seemingly only there to wait and blame the government but they spend every day, and possibly every night, finding ways of how they can make a difference.

Ngezi Platinum Stars have given employment to scores of people, from players to officials, who are involved in their football project, for the last five years.

Their staff, who are full-time employees of the club, enjoy a fine standard of living, with the employer providing them with accommodation, Medical Aid, reasonable salaries while their kids are also being educated at some good schools.

This has made this club very attractive, to scores of players and officials, who are happy to stay deep in the heart of a rural community, while they pursue their dreams, and raise their families, in a decent environment.

This is what national development is all about, where areas like Mhondoro-Ngezi, also become attractive places where the elite of our population, including even the best football players that we have on the domestic scene, can earn their living.

We are charmed by the developments we are seeing at Ngezi Platinum Stars because this isn’t just about football, but this is about community and national development, and it’s an issue that is very close to our hearts.