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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
RENOWNED sports caster Lee Mangena is running for the Zifa Bulawayo Women’s Football chairmanship when elections are held in September.

A founder and director of Street Set FC headquartered in Sizinda suburb, Mangena wants to revive the formation of a provincial league that will act as a feeder to the Southern Region Division One.

According to the Zifa elections roadmap released by the electoral committee chairman Vusisizwe Vuma a few weeks ago, nominations for women provincial elections will open on July 23 and close on August 6, with the elections set for September 1.

“I will throw my name into the race for the chairman’s post in Bulawayo Metropolitan province. This city is known for producing stars and my key and immediate task once voted into office will be to revive the provincial league that will also see the city having a strong pool to choose from when selecting its squad for the annual Youth Games,” said Mangena.

“Once we have a provincial league, likely to be made up of schools, we can then have teams in the Southern Region Division One league upping their game as they will be relegated to the province unlike the present scenario where there is no relegation,” said Mangena, a former producer and presenter of the once popular Grandstand Sports show at Classic 263. Mangena is now presently the news editor at Skyz Metro.

“I have a passion for women’s football and I realise that complaining all the time won’t help us hence my decision to be part of the policy makers to help reshape women’s football, especially in our region,” said Mangena.

If elected, Mangena will take over from Thembelani Dliwayo, who threw in the towel under unclear circumstances last year, leaving the province without a chairperson.

A number of the yesteryear Mighty Warriors’ stars emerged from Bulawayo teams which used to be a stronghold of women’s football in the country.