NEW Chicken Inn coach Tonderai Ndiraya says he feels the pressure to deliver success at the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League club following the illustrious legacy left by former coach Joey Antipas.
Ndiraya joins the GameCocks after back-to-back league titles, having guided Simba Bhora to the championship in 2024 before repeating the feat with debutants Scottland last season.
He replaces Antipas, who spent more than a decade at Chicken Inn and led the Bulawayo side to the 2015 league title, while finishing runners-up on several occasions.
Ndiraya, who will be coaching in Bulawayo for the first time, paid glowing tribute to his predecessor.
“I want to say I’m very happy and excited to be here in Bulawayo. It has always been my wish as a coach to come and coach in this region, particularly in this great city of ours,” he said.
“So I’m very excited and also want to appreciate those that hunted me to come and replace a great man in Joey Antipas who had managed this club for over 10 years, I guess. I’m so excited.
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“That in itself has put a lot of weight on my shoulders for obvious reasons. A great coach who achieved quite a lot with the team. He won the league in 2015. He did very well in the Champions League the following year.
“Then on several occasions, the team finished second in the league, I think about seven times, if I’m not mistaken, seven times finishing as a runner-up. So before I say anything, I want to salute Joey Antipas for what he did for the team, for the achievements that he made with this great club.”
Speaking at his first Press conference after joining Chicken Inn, Ndiraya said preparations for the new season, which begins in two weeks, were progressing well.
“Coming on to our preparations for this season, of course, our preparations started with the recruitment of some players. We felt that the club needed to be refreshed.
“If you also look at the way the team played last year, which I really don’t want to dwell into. That really motivated us to go on the market as a club and allow me also to appreciate the management ... for giving us the cheque book to sign the players that we’ve signed.
“I think we signed quite a lot of players and some of them have been unveiled already. Some are yet to be unveiled.”
He added that the recruitment drive had lifted the team’s competitiveness.
“So that in itself has put our team in general at another level. So we are really, really looking forward to the start of the games.
“But before the start of the games, we spoke about the recruitment.
“And after recruiting the players, what is important in football, in sport in general, is to then prepare.
“And we are doing that, we are still in the process of preparing.”
Chicken Inn narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of last season and have since retained a handful of players while bringing in a considerable number of new faces.
Club chairman Lifa Ncube outlined the club’s ambitions during the team’s 2026 kit launch held at a hotel in the City of Kings and Queens earlier this week.
“We are proud to welcome the reigning PSL coach of the year, Tonderai Ndiraya, and his technical team,” Ncube said.
“His winning mentality and proven leadership align perfectly with the club’s renewed structure and ambition. His arrival sends a clear message: Chicken Inn is moving forward with purpose.
“In 2026, Chicken Inn is here to compete. We are not here to be also-rans. We aim to challenge for every trophy available. The strength of our partnerships, the quality of the squad assembled and the leadership of the best coach in the league all underscore our commitment to excellence.”
Chicken Inn have also restructured their executive board, with Ncube as chairman, Trevor Jakachira (vice-chairman and marketing), Tavengwa Hara (legal), Juta Tshuma (human capital), Happymore Makovere (audit and compliance), Nokuthaba Sibanda (women’s football and finance), and Chris Moyo responsible for technical and development.