Emmanuel Chitsika
Having gone through a fairytale run in the lower division, Masvingo-based ladies soccer team Shine Shine Queens are on the verge of promotion into the top flight where talented girls from the Ancient City will dance with the elite in women soccer probably in 2023.
Shine Shine Queens have fared well in the First Division and are on course for promotion though the club’s board member Tendai Nyandoro said the team is just awaiting official communication on their promotion into the league.
“We are really excited about this prospect of being promoted into the top league. In Masvingo, by virtue of being the only female soccer team representing the province and on verge of bringing premiership action to the city after Masvingo United though this time on the other side of gender, we are proud of the girls and their performances,” said Nyandoro.
He also said the team has helped in taking out the girl child from the streets; occupy their minds and indirectly or directly protecting them from marauding social ills.
“The participation of our team in these games has helped getting these girls out of streets where early teenage pregnancies, drug and substance abuse have been common and it’s more of an occupational therapy.
“Bearing in mind that the group we are dealing with is vulnerable in our society, keeping them occupied on the soccer pitch in this case would go a long way in restraining them from partaking in societal ills as the group has and is always vulnerable to abuse,” added Nyandoro.
However, Nyandoro appealed to the corporate world or even individuals to lend a helping hand towards the cause of the girl child by helping them foot costs incurred by the team as they fulfill their fixtures.
“Right now we are a self-sponsoring club where individuals in the team’s executive will have to dip into their pockets to help foot the costs. Costs that include payment of referees, playing facilities, refreshments and other related costs. So in the end the executive will be sponsoring the club.
“Sometimes, when we go for away matches with no refreshments, one would be forced to revert to own resources to cater for refreshments as the team would have played well and you feel compelled to reward them in form of refreshments unlike a situation where players would just get water.
“We call upon the community of Masvingo and business community to welcome this new kid on the block and treat it with the preferential treatment it deserves. The community can now welcome and accept the new baby as it will expose the girl child to scouts and potential suitors and no one knows, one day we may have our own players donning the Mighty Warriors jersey,” urged Nyandoro.
