Shadreck Chapala Zanaco grounds Man Forgotten Hero

 

Shadreck Chapala  Zanaco grounds Man Forgotten Hero

By Ashton Kelly Bunda

Former Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO) football club kit co-ordinator –cum grounds man  has appealed to   ZANACO  director  Chibesa Kunda  and the sports department to reward  him  for  passionately  working for the soccer  stadium and rooting for the team during league matches for 14 years.

Chapala initially   joined the bankers in 1999  as  a “DIE hard “one   man  supporter  who used to  ring the loud bell around the stadium  helped to  motivate and groom  some  prominent  soccer stars among them former Glassgow Rangers  striker Fashion Sakala ,Italian Serie A winger Lameck Banda of Lecce football club  and  2010  Zambian  super league top scorer Winston Kalengo  who used  to walk with him for training sessions every day from Mtendere  township  to  Sunset stadium in  his formative days

Elevated to kit manager and Ground man 

Chapala who is currently   suffering from a stroke caused by high blood  pressure and stress was  elevated to  the position of kit co-ordinator and  football pitch caretaker in the year 2006 due to his passion and love for the bankers team .

Chapala’s job description  as kit manager was to wash  soccer jerseys  and ensure that home team attire colors are  different from that of the visiting team ,hence avoiding delay of the scheduled time of the match .

He would ensure he prepared the team’s kit on time when the team   is travelling to play away matches and put in place appropriate  away team jerseys for the bankers. 

On the hand Chapala’s duty was to mow and slash the playing  field  and   dressing up the goal posts with nets as well cleaning the surrounding,  applying  white lime on the pitch lines  for clear visibility of the  playing boundaries .

Chapala worked as Kit co-coordinator during the tenure of chairperson Mr.Chileshe who served in  2006,Amos Siwila who served in 2007,Edward Mutale in 2007,Mr.Bwanali,2008.

Education

Chapala who born from Fanwick  and Edina Chapala on 27^th April 1978in Chingola started his primary school education at Mumuni school in Lusaka central constituency and preceded to do his junior secondary school at Munali school and the completed his grade 12 at Luwingu boarding school in Northern province .

Chapala furthered his education in the year 2000 and acquired a skill as chef in food and production at Kanyama Youth Skills Center (KYSC) .

Football Knowledge

Chapala  told the Bundas Incorporated Blog Spot that  he was inspired by  former Zanaco head coach Numba Numba , he   earlier   acquired some average soccer skills when he was    playing for the then division 2 side State house  football club in the year 2000 which was managed by head coach Chola Chota and that the  2010 Zambian super league top scorer Winstone Kalengo was his team mate .

Motivator

Chapala who is the father of 3 children  two boys and one girl currently un employed won the 2010 league title with Zanaco football club and the 2008 league title and that by then Mr.Edward Mutale was the chairperson of the bankers football club.

He said he was nick named” Technical Director” by  Zanaco senior players as he was always observing what coach  Numba Mumamba and Agrey Chiyangi  was  doing and saying to the players during training sessions

Chapala saw many successful coaches and players come and go as pitch care taker and kit co-coordinator, he watched Numba Mumamba as a player and Mumamba he came back to coach the bankers after two years.

Among other soccer managers he worked with as pitch care taker   was  ,coach Keegan Mumba,Wesley Moondo the late , John Lungu ,ighton Simukonda the late,  and coach Aggrey Chiyangi ,Kelvin Kaindu,and Wedson Nyirenda.

Chapala Braggs of winning 

2010  league title  with the bankers team where they lost one game at home under coach Fighton Simukonda who was assited by Wedson Nyirenda .

Chapala was instrumental to grooming and motivating   Italian Serie striker Lameck Banda who plays for Lecce football club   as he was one of the ball boys recommended by him to be on sidelines of the pitch and helped encouraged him to join the young Zanaco football club.

Chapala as a motivator with some football knowledge was privileged to worker under coach

Cheer Leader

Chapala  who started as one man supporter in 1999 from school , he used to  ringing the school bell as he walked round the stadium  , he later recruited more supporters from his neighborhood Mtendrere  and among one of the prominent  was Masauso Phiri ,Lazarus Tembo ,Bilie Cosmas, and Henry Kalunkumya among others,