Southern Region Football Association (SRFA) League Thumbs Up Premier Division champions Ekhaya United are the new kid on the block in the country’s football circles after making it to the TNM Super League at the first time of asking.
They confirmed their status as worthy representatives for the region with a 2-0 beating of FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Reserves in the last match of the 2024 season at Mpira Stadium in Blantyre on Wednesday.
At the time of lining up against Bullets Reserves, Ekhaya already had the title in the bag after defeating Nyambadwe United with the same margin last week.
Ekhaya had their first taste of league football in 2023 when they joined SRFA’s Division One, winning the title and earning automatic promotion to the Premier Division in that very year.
The Blantyre-based side is now a Super League team after comfortably winning the regional championship with 34 points from 14 matches.
The team’s coach Moses Chavula attributed the remarkable run to management’s support.
“We were newcomers to the Premier Division and not many expected us to lift the title. But management came forward and gave us all the support and we never looked back. What gave us the confidence to do well was that we won the Division One championship in our first season.
“Of course lining up against teams that have been in the league for many years was not easy but credit should go to the players for shaking off the fear factor. This helped us to hold our nerves all throughout until we reached the promised land,” Chavula said.
SRFA chairperson Raphael Humba described the 2024 season as one of the most successful.
“We wholeheartedly congratulate Ekhaya for winning promotion in their first season. They have just proved that with hard work and determination, anything is possible in football. This should serve as a lesson to others teams. They need to be organised, determined and disciplined if they want results to come their way,” Humba said.
He said the season had many success stories as well as challenges which delayed its conclusion.
“The officiation was quite commendable and we thank our referees for a job well done. But we struggled quite a lot with the shortage of match venues. This forced us to extend the season into the new year against the initial plan of concluding everything in December,” Humba said.
League sponsor Rab Processors Communications Officer, Andrew Lulker, said 2024 was a great improvement from previous seasons.
“It was a season full of excitement. The standards of play have greatly improved compared to what was there before. So it was worth it,” Lulker said.
Former Super League side Red Lions finished second with 26 points while Bullets Reserve came third after amassing 23 points.
