Communities come together for Construction of Chitipa Stadium

Malawi: Concerned football supporters from the Chitipa district have joined forces to complete building work on Base Community ground in an effort to host Super League games there, writes Victor Musongole.

In order to lead the activities, Chitipa United has established a task force committee. Among other things, the task force committee will raise money for the first phase, which will see the ground equipped with water and dressing rooms, to name a few.

Taskforce Chairperson Sydney Simwaka says that because construction has already begun, the committee is prepared to see the stadium host Super League games.

“The committee opened bank accounts so that people could donate money toward the construction. Grounds work has already begun, and by Tuesday, we hope to have finished planting the grass,” said Simwaka.

Duma Ngoma, general secretary of Chitipa United Football Club, claims that if the facility is completed and capable of hosting Super League games, the team will be able to save money since they currently play all of their home games outside of Chitipa.

“We play every game in the Elite League in Karonga, which is very expensive financially and technically. If we could play at Base Ground, we could cut costs and perform better. We also earn close to or more than $1,000,000 in the Simso Innobuild League, which helps the Super League raise more money,” said Ngoma.

Alinubwira Musongole, a member of parliament for Chitipa Central, and businessman Teka Mzee have joined other soccer fans in the area to donate cars to help with logistics at the field.

Peter Simwera, a fan of Chitipa United, claims that because they must travel to Karonga for every home game, residents of the district are deprived of the chance to watch their team in person.

Simwera said, "If we can have our home games at Base, it means more people will have the opportunity to watch Super League games. We are forced to travel to Karonga to see our team playing home games.”

If finished, the stadium will serve as Chitipa United's home pitch when they return to the Super League.