AMBITIOUS Premier Soccer League side Scottland FC continue to raise the bar in terms of professional standards in domestic football as far as prioritising player is concerned welfare after it emerged yesterday that the club has started constructing accommodation facilities for its players.
Plans are afoot to build a club house at their Mabvuku base.
The newly-promoted side have already commenced an audacious project to revamp Mabvuku’s Number One ground into a modern stadium that can host Premier League and international football.
A video released by the club yesterday showed that the four-bedroomed houses are at various stages of construction, with most of them having reached the roof level.
“If you remember well from my previous interviews with the media, I said part of the money that we are getting from our sponsors will be used in the construction of accommodation facilities for our players as well as a training facility,” club president Pedzisai “Scott” Sakupwanya said.
“Player welfare is of paramount importance to us, so we are making sure that we will provide everything that they require so that they can be able to perform to optimum level.”
The new houses will be part of a wider sports precinct for Scottland, who are also in the process of constructing a 15 000-seater stadium, a training centre, a club house to be built adjacent to the main stadium and a food court.
Construction of most of the facilities has already started after a groundbreaking ceremony held in December last year.
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Sakupwanya earlier this week led a delegation on tour of the ground to assess the progress being made in the construction of the facilities.
The ball is already in motion and there is a hive of activity at the site, with earthmoving and other construction vehicles busy at the stadium.
The Harare businessman said the club is expected to move into their new home midway through the upcoming league season.
For now, he said the team will be using Rufaro Stadium for its home matches.
“We are in the process of constructing the stadium. We are a bit behind the schedule because the Premier League games are starting soon,” Sakupwanya said.
“We will be using Rufaro Stadium for now, and we are hoping we would have finished with our stadium by the time the season reaches the halfway stage. Our hope is to play our second half of the season matches here.”
Sakupwanya secured a 30-year lease from the City of Harare to construct the multi-million dollar project, which is set to change the face of Mabvuku and local football.
“We were still waiting to get all the documents from the City of Harare and I’m happy that everything is now in order,” he said.
“They have given us the go-ahead to start the construction. Besides the stadium, we are going to build a club house and a food court.”
Construction of the accommodation facilities for its players is another first for Scottland FC in the domestic league, after the club also became the first in Zimbabwe to acquire an ambulance last year.
The state-of-the-art vehicle, imported from overseas, is also part of the club’s efforts to prioritise player welfare and align with international standards.
The ambulance is just one aspect of Scottland FC’s impressive fleet.
The club also boasts two luxury buses and several smaller vehicles, with an ultra-luxury team bus imported from Brazil.
Sakupwanya emphasised that this investment is not only about player welfare, but also part of the club’s commercialisation strategy, mirroring approaches used by successful clubs in Europe.
Scottland FC, who are now without a doubt the country’s football royalty, will be making their Premier League debut in the upcoming season after winning promotion from the Zifa Northern Region Division One league last year.
To prepare for their maiden appearance in the topflight, the well-resourced side has assembled what looks on paper a monster of a squad.
Among a phalanx of big name signings is Khama Billiat, last season’s Soccer Star of the Year winner Walter Musona and his first runners-up Lynoth Chikuhwa, who was also last season’s golden boot winner.
The team is currently camped in Zambia for pre-season training.
