JUST when many are reeling from the devastating effects caused by Covid-19, the Zifa Northern Region Division One League has not rested and continues to show the way after tying a lucrative deal with a local information technology company – Axis Solutions.
Alexis Solutions is coming in to bankroll an eight-team knockout tournament and will be launched on Wednesday in the capital, few days after the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) gave the greelight for all lower leagues football to resume.
The participating teams will be drawn at the halfway stage of the season from the top eight on the log standings league’s chairperson Martin Kweza confirmed the development while giving an insight into the Axis Solutions Super Cup.
“This is a commitment from the league in its efforts to enhance player development by increasing the number of competition s within the league,” Kweza told the Daily News yesterday.
“The tournament will push for individual and team brilliance as it seeks to award both individual and team excellence.
“There will be individual awards for top goal scorer of the tournament and goalkeeper of the tournament. The biggest individual award will go to the player of the tournament, followed by coach of the tournament.
“Team awards will recognize the most disciplined team and obviously the inaugural tournament winners. This tournament reaches to all demographics and creating an environment with no boundaries.
“We are grateful to Axis Solutions for heeding our call and we hope this is the beginning of bigger things to come. We pledge to do our best to protect this partnership.”
Action in the Northern Region was last held in 2019 when Nesbert Saruchera’s Cranborne Bullets won the title and a place in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League before it was halted byCovid-19.
Northern Region has emerged as one of the best run league in the lower regions in the country and despite the inactivity for almost two years they still managed to retain Ruyamuro Holdings as their league sponsor.
The league still has Anzaequip Earthmovers as another commercial partner for the league.
Anzaequip Earthmovers, who specialises in the training of human capital in operating skills and techniques in all earth movers, hiring and general maintenance of earth moving machines and equipment, will cater for the Coach of the Month and Coach of the Year awards.