Africa-Press – Eswatini. Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Harries ‘Madze’ Bulunga toured the newly-constructed Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Mkhuzweni Technical Centre yesterday.
This is the fourth technical centre to be constructed by EFA in the country and it is situated a few kilometres from the fast developing Buhleni Town. The others are the Lobamba Technical Centre, the King Sobhuza II Memorial Stadium in Nhlangano and the KaLanga Technical Centre.
Congratulated
The minister, when addressing the delegates at the centre’s Multi-Purpose Hall, congratulated EFA for delivering the project as promised, which would change the Hhohho Region’s football and the ripple effects would be felt countrywide. “As we have already been told, the facility will play a multifaceted role in the development of football in our kingdom through the hosting national leagues, football development programmes, women’s football competitions, etc,” Bulunga said.
The former national team and Umbelebele gaffer said he was particularly interested that the facility was made available timeously, when the season was just started and there was a shortage of suitable venues to host domestic football games for various reasons including the continuing rehabilitation of the Somhlolo National Stadium. “The facility will therefore immediately lessen the stress on the football machinery by providing a high standard venue for matches,” Bulunga said.
The former national team Sihlangu Coach also said the facility would help in growing business around football in many ways of interest to the local population. “With some of the country’s biggest clubs set to feature in the venue regularly, interest will grow, benefitting the clubs, football itself and other stakeholders, driving the country’s economy. We anticipate further infrastructural development, stimulated by the construction of this beautiful facility,” he said.
He further said that the government remained committed to facilitate more of such investments. “We remain ready to work with the EFA and other stakeholders to provide more land for other aspects of infrastructure development, improving such already existing facilities to meet higher international standards,” he said.
Meanwhile, EFA President Peter ‘Samora’ Simelane through his deputy Steve Horton revealed that the project cost E35 million, inclusive of the turf artificial turf, which according to him was slightly above E13 million. “These projects are short-term as we want to further develop them as soon we will embark on the construction of the Manzini Technical Centre in four months’ time,” Horton said.
He said they were still working on the logistics and once they were done they would commence construction.
Horton further said the Manzini centre would be match better than the other regions. Meanwhile, the Mkhuzweni Technical Centre was recently announced as one of the venues to host MTN Premier and national first division leagues this season.
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