As the scorching sun beats down on Ngoni Stadium in Norton, a team of dedicated turf care specialists are hard at work, braving the sweltering heat to transform the ground into a lush, vibrant oasis.
Armed with rolls of fresh turf, the unsung heroes are labouring tirelessly to ensure every inch of the ground is perfectly covered.
Despite a valiant effort last season, MWOS FC narrowly missed out on promotion into the topflight league, finishing just shy of the coveted promotion spots.
Instead of dwelling much on what could have been, the team has chosen to use this setback as an opportunity to regroup, recharge and refocus.
As they prepare for the new season, their sights are firmly set on making a strong push for promotion into the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League again.
The Norton-based team's homeground is currently undergoing extensive renovations to ensure that it meets the Prenier Soccer League (PSL) standards.
From upgraded seating and amenities, to state-of-the-art playing surfaces and training facilities, the stadium is being meticulously revamped.
"We are renovating Ngoni Stadium in order to push for Premier Soccer League standards. We had the plans since the days of Division 2. The stadium belongs to Norton Town Councill. We have a memorandum of understanding with the council to use the stadium at the same time upgrade it. But the council shall also give us land to build our own stadium in future,” MWOS FC chairman Cleyton Arimoso said.
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"The stadium has to have a 5 000 seating capacity. We are going to install bucket seats. We are building new ablution facilities, two rooms for match officials which cater for both males and females. Some medical rooms are also in place with modern technology facilities,” he explained.
The Norton-based team stated that it had a long vision in seeing the club prospering, at the same time ploughing back to the community.
"We opted to use Ngoni Stadium for a reason. MWOS FC owner (Patrick Tamson) grew up in Norton and he has a long-term vision for the project.
Taurai Madotsa, who was responsible for Golden Eagles’ Ellis Robbins Ground revamp, is overseeing the Ngoni Stadium project.
"So far we are in partnership with a local-based school St Eric’s Secondary school which is a feeder to our junior teams," he said.
After failing to be promoted by a whisker, the punters are now going to review their manpower's performances and shortcomings with a view of bolstering it.
"Going forward, the club management and technical team will sit down and assess the performances, see which players we will continue with and see the ones who will be dropped. We will also see the departments that need reinforcements," Arimoso said.
The club has expressed satisfaction with coach Lloyd Mutasa who is expected to keep his position going into next season.
MWOS FC will in January award its players for a brave fight which they exhibited last season.
