Chinhoyi is expected to host Premier Soccer League games this season as Black Rhinos are continuing with plans to switch their base to Mashonaland West.
The army side used Rusape’s Vengere Stadium last season after leaving Harare due to fewer match venues in the capital.
Ahead of the new campaign, the club’s board reconsidered their pre-Covid 19 plans to use Chinhoyi Stadium as their permanent home ground.
The football venue is undergoing massive renovation to meet the minimum standards required to host PSL games.
Black Rhinos secretary-general Colonel Edward Mutukwa said the stadium should be ready for use by March 18, when the league season is scheduled to commence.
“We are looking to use Chinhoyi Stadium and we are pushing for it to be ready for the start of the,” he told Newsday Sport.
“The owners of the facility have done a lot already, they have fixed the changing rooms, the toilets, the doping rooms and everything.
“An inspection was done and there are some areas that need to be spruced and they are actually working on them expecting by the end of next week they would have finished. We were using Vhengere last year and now it has failed the standards test.”
Col. Mutukwa added: “Now we are going to use Chinhoyi which is closer to Harare and has a good catchment area in terms of support base. From Karoi, Lions, Den, Alaska, Chegutu, Mapinga and Mhangura they have an opportunity to watch premier league football in Chinhoyi.
“At the same time, there is also the university and they can also fill up the stadium. Harare is congested and if you are not Caps United and Dynamos, you don’t have fans watching your games because we need gate takings to cover some operational costs.”
Should Chinhoyi Stadium declared fit to host top-flight games, it will be the third PSL venue in Mashonaland West after Kariba’s Nyamhunga Stadium which is used by ZPC Kariba and Ngezi Platinum Stars’ Baobab Stadium in Ngezi.