Dynamos chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze yesterday said the club has come of age after the Glamour Boys marked their 60th birthday on Wednesday, albeit in hushed tones.
One would have expected fanfare to celebrate the day but the club chose to go it quietly with a simple Twitter message: "18 January 1963 Dynamos was formed. Happy 60th birthday DeMbare."
The Harare giants however have revealed big plans that are being worked on by the [email protected] Anniversary Celebrations Organising Committee chaired by Denford Mutashu.
A number of activities have been lined up by Dynamos as part of their commemorations to mark the club's 60 years of existence in 2023. Apart from celebrating the team's milestones, Dynamos are also aiming to reconnect with their huge fan base.
The 26-member [email protected] Anniversary Celebrations Organising Committee was set up last month and has since begun the ground work, with a series of meetings having taken place.
"We have been meeting as a committee and today (yesterday) is actually our third meeting," Mutashu told The Herald.
"We have constituted sub-committees that will be driving the celebrations.
"We have a Budget and Finance Committee, a Sponsorship, Marketing and Public Relations Committee, Legal and Human Capital and the fourth being Research and Programmes.
"The Budget and Finance will take care of all the resources raised. The Sponsorship and Marketing will spearhead the mobilisation of resources by reaching out to sponsors and other interested stakeholders.
"The Legal and Human capital is already at work and all committee members are expected to sign contracts that bind them so that no one acts outside of the mandate given by the board.
"Then the Research and Programmes committee will go out to extract all the critical information about Dynamos which we hope will be documented as part of the commemorations."
Mutashu said his committee has grand plans and are aiming to leave footprints by assisting the Harare giants monetise their brand as positioning them for some big projects that include the setting up of infrastructure like a gym, a rehabilitation facility, training facilities for grassroots development in provinces, a club house under what they call a Dynamos Village.
"The year 2023 is going to be exciting. We are expecting to have a launch in the coming months. Engagement with the fans will be key and there will be road shows and other exciting programmes to ensure the Dynamos brand is accessible in all areas where there are Dynamos fans.
"In fact, we are working on a number of programmes that we believe will put Dynamos back on top as a big brand not only in Zimbabwe but in Africa and beyond," said Mutashu.
Dynamos chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze, who is also the general manager of the Anniversary Celebrations Organising Committee said Dynamos cannot afford to let the year pass by without celebrating the milestones.
"Without doubt, Dynamos has risen from humble beginnings to become the flagship team in Zimbabwe with a huge fan-base in all the 10 provinces and in the diaspora.
"There is so much that we will be celebrating this year. This is a club that has produced household names far too numerous to mention. Dynamos is the leading club in terms of success, with 22 titles under the belt.
"In terms of individual excellence Dynamos has also provided the platform. The inaugural Soccer Star of the Year, the late George Shaya, was from Dynamos. He also holds a national record after winning it five times. And, over the years 15 Soccer Star of the Year winners have come from Dynamos.
"The first Zimbabwean export to Europe, Freddy Mkwesha, was from DeMbare. Misheck Chidzambwa, the first captain to lift silverware with the national team at the 1985 CECAFA tournament was also from Dynamos.
"Some of the best coaches in the country came from Dynamos. There are so many things that I can talk about. These milestones form the building block of Dynamos. We aim to put all these together in a documentary and a book," said Mashingaidze.
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Dynamos, who were formed in 1963, are looking to use the milestone as a springboard to bounce back as the leading club in the country.
Success appeared to have eluded them in the last few years. Their last major title came in 2014.
DeMbare are currently preparing to challenge for the honours in the upcoming 2023 season under new coach Herbert Maruwa. They have overhauled their squad again after signing close to a dozen players to replace the 13 that they shipped out earlier this month.
Dynamos yesterday announced former Harare City winger Emmanuel Ziocha (21) and ex-Black Rhinos' Keith Madera as their latest recruits.
They have also roped in striker Nyasha Chintuli (28), Tanaka Shandirwa (23) from Yadah, Congolese forward Eli ilunga (25), Arthur Musiiwa (27), Tendai Matindife (21) and the Moyo twins Kevin and Elvis (29). More signings will be announced in the coming days.
