The Parade April 2013 | Page 53

Sports Okays Two Pre-season Tourneys Gilbert Munetsi T here were two major highlights prior to the beginning of the 2013 Premier Soccer League, the first of which was hosted by the Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Phillip Valerio Sibanda, with the support of the corporate world. Played at Rufaro Stadium on March 3, the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Commander’s Charity Shield featured the army team, Black Rhinos, which reclaimed its place in the PSL at the end of the 2012 season, and Caps United F.C. Both teams were kitted by Ke Nako Media through The Parade banner, and the company also provided the shield and medals for all the participating players and officials. Caps United won the match by a 2-0 margin, courtesy of goals from Ronald Pfumbidzai and Leonard Fiyado. Traditionally, the ZNA Commander has been raising money for charity through such events as the Charity Ball, golf and horse racing, and said he had this year seen the need to consider soccer as another feature on his fundraising calendar for 2013. “We decided that we were going to fill up the space between January and May with something new and after some bit of brainstorming, it was agreed that we should try and launch an army charities shield. “This is the very first of such a tournament and we are hoping that with the people’s, support it’s going to grow bigger in the future and it’s already promising from the sponsorship we have got,” said Lt General Sibanda on the day of the launch. There are several charities that the army The Parade - Zimbabwe’s Most Read Lifestyle Magazine runs, and these include Tsanga Lodge which is in the Eastern Highlands where injured members of the army are taken for rehabilitation. Then there is the ZNA Schools Welfare Trust, the ZNA Patients’ Fund, the Army Benevolent Fund and the Army Widows and Orphans Fund. A week later on March 9 and 10, the sleepy town of Zvishavane was a hive of activity with the convergence at Mandava Stadium by four teams and their legions of fans for the Net*One Charity Shield. The participating teams were FC Platinum, Chicken Inn, Caps United and Monomotapa. Chicken Inn lifted the shield after accounting for Caps United 3-2 in a mouth-watering final whose fixture had a full-house. Net*One Managing Director, Reward Kangai, did not hide his joy at the way things went, telling the media: “We are happy that this tournament has been a success. A lot of supporters braved the chilly weather to come and watch this tournament. That shows people really supported the tournament.” TP April 2013 Page 53