Vusumuzi Dube
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THIRTY-FOUR out of the 90 young footballers who turned up at White City Stadium B-Arena for the first set of trials for academically gifted athletes in preparation for American scouts coming next year have been shortlisted for the next phase.
Tshabalala-based Zebra Revolution organised the trials whose first set was held on Wednesday and Thursday.
The 34 aspiring footie stars will be joined by other up and coming footballers who had registered for the trials and failed to attend the first set during the final training to be held over two days starting on Wednesday, 14 December.
Former national team’s utility player Kelvin Madzongwe, FC Platinum’s midfielder Rainsome Pavari, Chicken Inn captain Moses Jackson and ex-Highlanders and Railstars’ Mtewa Masuku joined former Highlanders and Young Warriors striker Mkhokheli Dube in identifying young footballers ahead of a visit by American scouts.
Dube, a beneficiary of a football scholarship that saw him spending almost a decade in the United States of America between 2004 and 2013, said their target is to have a wide base for the scouts and was happy with the turnout.
“We had 90 young players turning up for the trials which is a good number. We then shortlisted 34 players who will be joined by some of the youngsters who couldn’t make it as they were either travelling from boarding schools or involved in closing the term. Our aim is to have three teams that the visiting American scouts will look at,” said Dube.
The trials are for young footballers between the ages of 17 and 19.
Scouts will be coming from the USA in the second week of January to look at these young footballers with good grades.
Before setting foot on the field for assessment, the participants produced their birth certificates and reports for those yet to write or waiting O- level results.
The former Bosso striker, who went on to play in America’s topflight, the Major Soccer League (MSL) used the relations he established while in the USA to invite the scouts so that he may give opportunities to young footballers.
Besides Dube, a number of footballers with good grades managed to get scholarships to study and play football in the USA.
Madzongwe, Ackim Mpofu, Nyasha Dube the son of former Hwange coach Nation Dube, Victoria Falls bred former Bantu Rovers’ Marvin Sibanda and Methembe Ndlovu the last coach to win the championship with Highlanders are some of the stars who got American football scholarships.
Dube is grateful to the active players assisting him with identifying exceptional talent.
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