For a country riddled with corruption and financial demise when it comes to football, Zimbabwe has long been in search of a new lease of life capable of reinvigorating their beloved sport.

Castle Lager Premiership side Bulawayo Chiefs are one of a host of Zimbabwean teams that have taken to social media in an attempt to follow in the footsteps of football clubs across the globe that have benefited enormously from technology.

The Chief’s social media officer, Thulani Sibanda, describes football as “a way of life for a lot of people in Zimbabwe” and he believes that “social media cuts across boundaries and steers progress” within the football community.

Having initially started out on Twitter with the intent to reach out to local fans, Sibanda explains how it “enabled our local team to interact with renowned clubs like AS Roma and the craze just went overboard.” The limitless opportunities presented to a country with, by all accounts, vast limitations when it comes to sport is extraordinary.

#ASRoma's Team of the Day is Zimbabwe’s @BulawayoChiefs. Founded in 2012 & known as ‘Amakhosi Amahle’, they’re winning new fans each day with one of the funniest football accounts on Twitter & yesterday they became the 1st team in the country to be verified. We're big fans 🇿🇼🤝🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/jFIb6I8aSR — AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) November 8, 2018

Despite a surge of publicity as a result of their online presence, many clubs in Zimbabwe have gained much more than just a following. Second tier club Chiredzi Stars’ media officer says that their growth online has led to an “increased number of players who came for trials at our ground” and believes that social media “has also helped in curbing corruption”.

Sibanda also points out that even with the “tough economic situation gripping the nation, we still display good football on the field, good enough to compete at international stages as evidenced by how well our Zim reps, FC Platinum, are performing at the (African) Champions League” and thus, the ability social media has in displaying this could be ground-breaking for football in Zimbabwe.

It is gut-wrenching to see how little a country with such passion for the beautiful game has been able to offer by way of developing and improving their sport. However, with the emergence of social media, “the commercial side of things is starting to shape up and an increase in sponsor interest is being noted.”

This is not merely an opportunity to improve the financial situation of Zimbabwean football, as aforementioned, “football is a way of life” in Zimbabwe and social media has the potential to change the livelihood and prosperity of millions.

There are countless examples of the football community bounding together to bring clubs six feet under to the surface and beyond. In this day in age, there is no reason why clubs should have to endure season upon season of inadequacy and isolation from progression, these clubs have shown that even when you’re unknown, voices can and will be heard and more and more teams need their voices heard online.