The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Reporter
A WELL-equipped and professionally run junior football venture — the Manicaland Juniors of Excellency Academy — has rekindled the old spirit of catching them young with an ambitious project that has already enrolled 30 youngsters from the tender age of eight.
The Manicaland Juniors of Excellency Academy is formally registered with the country’s football governing body, Zifa.
At a time when top-flight league teams are battling to keep their heads above the water, let alone national teams struggling to fulfil fixtures owing to the harsh economic conditions, junior football in Zimbabwe is actually in intensive care unit with little, if any, activity being witnessed to develop talent at grassroots level.
The trend has reflected badly on performance of teams in the domestic Premiership where kindergarten and basic ball controlling skills are evidently lacking among many players.
In Mutare, a junior football league has been running for a number of years but the amateurish approach to administration and non-registration with the country’s football governing body have militated against proficient management of the league.
However, 2020 seems to have started on a positive note for the football fraternity in Mutare after the formation of Manicaland Juniors of Excellency Academy — a fully fledged junior football project that is being bankrolled by youthful football enthusiast Charles Chave, backed by UK-based former Mutare football players Joseph Kabwe, Malcolm Meuka and Chazi Hokoza.
Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Willard Katsande has partnered the project as its ambassador.
Arguably the most skilful player Mutare has ever produced, Kabwe once turned out for the now defunct star-studded Amazulu back then while Meuka and Hokoza were part of the trailblazing Mutare Boys’ High — the only high school team from Manicaland in history that won the national Copa Coca-Cola tournament.
Chave, who is also financing education requirements of several primary and secondary school football players attached to their project, said their aim is to give promising players a chance to perfect their skills at a tender age and ultimately provide a wider player base for teams within and without Mutare.
“We have decided to come up with Manicaland Juniors of Excellency Academy as a career launch pad for future football players. I am sure we will all agree that junior football has been neglected for a long time and this is the reason we are struggling in international competitions. It is also for the same reason that we have been watching mediocre players in our Premiership teams.
“We strongly believe that if we prioritise junior football, it will ultimately benefit the province and the nation at large. We will be able to play our part in developing football talent in an environment that any parent would feel comfortable to leave their children,” Chave said.
In a separate interview, the project’s technical director, Samson Kabwe, said they had competent coaches in Isaac “Zeka” Nengomasha and Aleck Mkudu.
“We have enlisted the services of competed coaches in Isaac ‘Zeka’ Nengomasha and Aleck Mkudu. We do our training programmes at Mutare Sports Club during weekends, and during holidays we do our training sessions at Mutare Junior School.
“In fact, we are partners with Mutare Junior School in this project and we cherish the partnership we have with the school. During holidays we actually plan to have our training sessions at Mutare Junior School from Tuesday to Sunday,” he said.
The former Mutare City FC executive member heartily thanked the financiers of the project.
“This initiative would not have been possible without the financial support of Charles Chave. He has been forking out resources from his personal savings just to see these children realise their dream of playing football professionally. In the same breath we really want to thank Joseph Kabwe, Malcolm Meuka and Chazi Hokoza, Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Willard Katsande for their different roles in this project. Their efforts are splendid,” he said.
