Apart from the two titles won by the Mutare-based Black Rhinos, and one won by St Paul's, from Mrewa, every national championship held in either Rhodesia or Zimbabwe has been won by a team from Harare (left, Salisbury until 1982) or Bulawayo (right).[1]
The association football champions of Zimbabwe are the winners of the highest league in Zimbabwean football, which is the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League (ZPSL). The ZPSL was founded in 1980, after Zimbabwe's internationally recognised independence, as a successor to the Rhodesia National Football League, which started in 1962. Originally governed by the Zimbabwe Football Association – the renamed Rhodesia Football Association, created in 1965 – the ZPSL has run itself since 1993.
The first edition of the Rhodesia National Football League took place in 1962, when Bulawayo Rovers won both the inaugural league championship and Cup of Rhodesia to claim the Double in the first season of nationally organised competition in Rhodesia. Since then, the championship has been largely dominated by teams from the country's capital, Harare (Salisbury until 1982), and second-largest city, Bulawayo: all but three of the 50 championships contested in the country have been won by a team based in one of these two cities.
The record 22 titles won by Dynamos is more than twice as many as the number won by the second-most decorated, Bulawayo's Highlanders, who have won seven. Dynamos and Highlanders share the record for most consecutive championships won, each having won four titles in succession. Harare-based Dynamos are the most successful team in cup competition, with ten cup-final victories to their name, one more than CAPS United. Unlike the league, the cup has been won numerous times by clubs from outside the traditional centres of Harare and Bulawayo; provincial sides such as Hwange, Mhangura and Masvingo United have claimed the cup on multiple occasions. The Double has been achieved 11 times in Zimbabwean football; since Bulawayo Rovers won both the league and cup in 1962, the Double has been repeated by Dynamos (seven times), Zimbabwe Saints, Black Rhinos, Highlanders and CAPS United.
Champions
Key
†
Club won the Double (both league and cup) during that season
(number of titles)
A running tally of the total number of championships won by each club is kept in brackets.
(number of cups)
A running tally of the total number of cups won by each club is kept in brackets.
A ^Dynamos Salisbury City and Salisbury United amalgamated to form Dynamos Fc
B ^ (also sometimes referred to Salisbury Tornados) retitled themselves Chibuku Shumba between the 1967 and 1968 seasons.[3]
C ^ Black Aces were founded in 1976 as a new incarnation of Chibuku Shumba when that club folded in 1975.[4]
D ^Chapungu United won the 1995 Cup of Zimbabwe by walkover after the semi-final match between Highlanders and CAPS United was declared void due to the fielding by Highlanders of an ineligible player. Left with no opposing team in the final round, Chapungu took the cup by default.
E ^Motor Action were formed in 2000, taking the place of Blackpool in the Premier Soccer League by buying that team's franchise.[5]
F ^ The Mbada Diamonds Cup was launched in 2011, with the 16 teams from the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League participating. The winner will qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup.[6]
Dynamos F.C. is a Zimbabwean professional football club based since 1963 at Rufaro Stadium, Mbare, Harare. The team currently participates in Zimbabwe's top-tier, the Premier Soccer League. Founded in 1963 after a merger between two lesser teams in Mbare, Harare Township, Rhodesia, Dynamos quickly became one of the strongest sides in the Rhodesian league, and by the attainment of the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980 had become the country's most successful football team, having won six national championships. Dynamos have since won 22 league championships – a national record – and at least 16 trophy/cup honours.
Highlanders FC is a Zimbabwean football club based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe that plays in the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League. It is also known colloquially as iBosso, Amahlolanyama.
Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League is the top professional division of the Zimbabwe Football Association. It was founded in 1980, as a successor to the 1962 formed Rhodesia National Football League. It is currently sponsored by Delta Beverages under the Castle Lager brand and hence is known as Castle Lager Premier Soccer League. The current sponsorship deal runs from 2011 and is worth $3.6 million.
ESCOM United is a Malawian football club based in Blantyre. The club was relegated from the Malawi Premier Division in 2012–13.
The Cup of Zimbabwe is the top knockout tournament of the Zimbabwean football. It was created in 1962 as the Cup of Southern Rhodesia and was known between 1965 and 1980 as the Cup of Rhodesia. Due to sponsorship, the competition has undergone a number of name changes: from its creation in 1962 until 1998, the cup was known as the Castle Cup, after its sponsor, the Johannesburg-based Castle Lager. Castle also sponsored the Northern Rhodesian equivalent of the competition, which led to the creation of the "Super Castle Cup", played between 1962 and 1965 between the winners of the Southern Rhodesia Castle Cup and its Northern Rhodesian or Zambian equivalent. After the cessation of Castle sponsorship, the competition was abandoned for two seasons before being brought back in 2001 as the ZIFA Unity Cup. It retained this name until 2006, when it was known as the CBZ Cup. This name was extended to CBZ FA Cup in 2007. The cup was not played in 2009 or 2010.
The Zimbabwean Independence Trophy is a Zimbabwean association football knockout tournament. It was created as a clubs competition in 1983 played during commemorations of the country's independence. The final is usually played on 18 April, which is the nation's Independence Day.
Sport in Zimbabwe has a long tradition and has produced many world recognized sports names and personalities. Football is the most popular sport, although rugby union, cricket, tennis, golf, and netball also have a following, traditionally among the middle class and the white minority. Field hockey is also played widely.
Cuthbert Malajila is a Zimbabwean footballer who plays as a forward for Premier Soccer League side Black Leopards in South Africa. He also plays for the Zimbabwe national football team.
The sport of football in the country of Zimbabwe is run by the Zimbabwe Football Association. The association administers the national football team, as well as the Premier League. It is the most popular sport in that nation. It was introduced to the country by the British colonialists by the end of the 19th century and quickly took hold.
Thomas Langu Sweswe is an association footballer from Zimbabwe. Sweswe is a defender, primarily operating as a centre back, and has played for nine different clubs as well as the Zimbabwe national football team.
The Soccer Star of the Year is an annual association football award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best performer of the season in Zimbabwean football.
Robert Barry Lionel "Bobby" Chalmers is a former association football forward who played professionally for the Rhodesia national team and various clubs in South Africa, where he scored 303 goals in all competitions, making him the all-time top goalscorer in the now-defunct South African National Football League. Chalmers captained the Rhodesian team during its unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 1970 FIFA World Cup, and was its leading goalscorer. In a profile published in 1980, Chalmers was described by journalist Glen Byrom as a "perfect gentleman and sportsman ... Southern Africa's crown prince of soccer". Chalmers died in Durban in 2022.
The 2012 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League season will be the thirty second season of the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League since its establishment in 1980. The season began on 31 March 2012.
Denver Mukamba is a Zimbabwean footballer, who currently plays for Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League side Dynamos F.C. and the Zimbabwe national team.
The 2013 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League season will be the thirty third season of the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League since its establishment in 1980. The season began on 28 March 2013.
The 2015 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League is the 36th season of top-tier football in Zimbabwe. The season began on 21 March 2015 and concluded on 28 November 2015 with Chicken Inn F.C. winning their first league title, snapping a run of four straight titles by Dynamos F.C.
The 2016 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League is the 37th season of top-tier football in Zimbabwe. The season began on 1 April 2016 when How Mine took on newly promoted Bulawayo City at White City Stadium. CAPS United won their fifth league championship and first in 11 years.
Raphael Manuvire is a Zimbabwean footballer who last played as a midfielder for Chapungu United and the Zimbabwe national team.
The 2017 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League is the 38th season of top-tier football in Zimbabwe. The season begins on 1 April 2017. CAPS United are the defending champions, coming off their fifth league title.
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