The second part of my adventures takes Centre stage at the copper rich region of Zambia, the  Copper belt Province.
My visit to the Copperbelt region was limited to Ndola and Kitwe cities which harbours the most successful clubs in Zambia in Nkana and Zesco .copper belt also has The two Mufulira clubs in Mufulira Wanderers and Mufulira Blackpool. It has Nchanga Rangers of Chingola,
My first stop is the capital of Copperbelt province Ndola,a city clean by standards and lovely in look.I am hosted by a friend who takes me for a night out.we visit different night  clubs in the city and happen to meet one Khondwani Mtonga,the Zesco United player who apparently did not go with the team to South Sudan due to injuries.Ndola based Zesco is the home of Kenyan international trio of David Owino,Jesse Were and Antony Akumu.
The following morning I am picked by Zesco United head of fans Cliff Njovu Festo who takes me around Ndola city.he takes me to his house where he gives me a zesco replica and we head to the Savoy Hotel, on the way he shows me the compound of Kenyan defender David Owino and tells me the other two Kenyans are still staying at the Savoy Hotel as for the time being. Savoy hotel is associated with Zesco United.

At the Savoy hotel I meet Cephas Mutambo in his Zesco replica.he tells me he has a Gor Mahia jersey a.Cliff drives me across Ndola specifically to the clubs and stadium.

Our first stop is the Trade Fair grounds, the home of Zesco United.here we find workers doing maintenance of tone stadium.the trade fair grounds has stands similar to the Machakos County stadium  back in Kenya.Zesco now uses it as their training ground as the big Levy Mwanawasa stadium is their proffered home ground for league matches.

From the Trade fair grounds we head to cool nice looking Musa Kasonka Stadium, the home of second tier team Ndola United.I am shocked to find a second tier team having a nice stadium that also has a gymnasium and ever green natural grass.back home even Kenyan football giants Gor Mahia,AFC leopards ,Sofapaka etc hire stadiums for their league matches.Cliff tells me that a match between Zesco vs Ndola United attracts a huge fan base. 
From The home of Ndola United we move to the magnificent huge Levi Mwanawasa,named after one of the country’s president Levi Mwanawasa.we ask for permission after introducing ourselves and we are almost denied entry into the stadium but after negotiations we are allowed in.At the stadium we find Congolese side Don Bosco FC training for a CAF Confederations assignment match where they were given a Bye by CAF. They are set to meet Misr Makasa of Egypt. They  had  just lost a friendly match 4-2 a day earlier to Kitwe based power dynamos.I get a chance to talk to the media officer of Don Bosco who understands both English and Kiswahili.

From Levi Mwanawasa we head further away from town to the Dola Hill stadium the home of Forest Rangers.the stadium is situated in between the forest and the club is owned by the Forestrydepartmwnt of the government.we find Konkola blades playing a friendly match against Forest Rangersin a sizeable crowd .

From Dola hill stadium, Cliff drives me back to town where I head to Kitwe city.It only takes me 50 minutes to reach Kitwe City.the roads fine and its dual carriage up to Kitwe.In Kitwe I am received by Longa Zimba who takes me around and gives me a Nkana Jersey.Longa is a die hard Nkana supporter.ne tells me Nkana stadium and Arthur Davies Stadium is separated by a road.

We are joined by Power Dynamos team manager Lombe Chipupu and Nkana second choice keeper a Congolese national at the Shoprite supermarket in Kitwe. I also  happen to meet the controversial Christopher Munthali who has been on the headlines recently in a transfer saga.
Lombe takes me to the Arthur Davies Stadium, the home of Power Dynamos. He takes  me around the stadium from the clubs bar ,gymnasium,team rooms for both home and away, inside the stadium and then to the training pitch, he gives me a power dynamos jersey, one for me and another for one of pit writers Boniface Osano . I am made aware that Power Dynamos is sponsored by copper belt energy company, a company that supplies power on behalf of Zesco to the Copper mines, it’s was started as a power division and Dynamos derived it’s name from there, their matches with Zesco are referred to as the electric derby while their matches with Nkana is the Kitwe derby. nkana on the other hand is owned by Mopani mines. 

We share a lot with him and then he drops me to the Bus station to catch up with the Lusaka bus.I then leave for Kenya the following day
Special recognition to Longa Zimba who offered me with drinks and pocket money for the road.
Cliff Njovu Festo who drove me around Ndola making sure I visited all the stadiums in Ndola,je also offered me some pocket money for lunch.
Lombe Chipipu for taking his time to take me around Arthur Davies Stadium.
My fellow soka25east writers in Zambia Sibeleki,Mubanga and Aaron.
Soka25east team at large and the entire Zambian people who made my trip successful..

Austin Oduor

talking African football