Motor Action Football Club set to bounce back

THERE was a time when the now-defunct Motor Action was a force to reckon with in the local Premiership football both on and off the field.

They were difficult to beat and one of their most famous results in the league remains the 5-0 humbling of Dynamos in 2005.

Their band of supporters was always a spectacle across the country's stadiums and the team even had strong follower bases in Mutare and Marondera, having at some point in their 13-year span in the top-tier used both Sakubva and Rudhaka as their home grounds.

And they were very successful too, winning the Independence Trophy in 2005, the league title in 2010 as well as the BancABC Super Eight Cup in 2011.

One of their best products, Clemence Matawu, won the Soccer Star of the Year accolade in 2006 and they also provided the best player in the local league in 2010 when Charles Sibanda emulated Matawu's 2006 feat.

But in 2013, facing liquidity challenges, the team affectionately known as the Mighty Bulls were demoted before subsequently folding up.

Three years later founder and director of the project, which honed such good players including ageless Passmore Bernard who is still a key man in log leaders Chicken Inn's quest for the league title this season, Eric Rosen died.

Even the sports club, which Rosen and his football-crazy wife Liz were leasing from the City of Harare, was on its way back to the city fathers before the latter engaged the municipality which has now agreed, in principle, to extend the arrangement.

And the development seems to have reawakened Liz's passion for the game as she has declared that she is working on resuscitating Motor Action Football Club.

Already, Motor Action Sports Club is undergoing renovations after which Liz will then assemble a team though she is yet to decide on the direction she will take.

"We would also want to bring back Motor Action. It is all in the pipeline, whether as an academy or we will come back starting from the lower divisions, we will look for a franchise, that is for sure," she said.

"That will come to fruition as soon as we complete the renovations here, we will then start looking into that.

"We have the passion and we believe God will help us as well. We surely want to bring Motor Action back on its feet.

"I have a good feeling about it and obviously sweet memories about it as well so the right thing will be to bring the team back."

She was still very much in love with local football which she described as her heartbeat.

"I follow local football passionately and when I attend some of these matches, I am always receiving a warm welcome and that motivates and inspires me to come back into the game.

"Even some of the players who used to play for Motor Action still respect me a lot and whenever we meet, well, they inspire me a lot as they say the club changed their lives. I would like to bring back the club and change more lives."  

Liz said the ongoing renovations at Motor Action Sports Club will be completed within the next three months and she is hoping to also raise the standards at the venue to meet the Premier Soccer League requirements.

 "We have used a substantial amount of money to renovate the club as we try to develop football in the country.

"I have passion for football and I would really want to maintain this facility in the best way I can.

"In about three months we should be having an official opening of the venue.

"We would like to upgrade this stadium to meet Premiership standards. It is all work in progress, we will be working towards that as time goes."