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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
THE abandoned eighth edition of the multi-United States dollars-rich Parkston Choto tournament series held at Wedza Centre last week will be completed at Numwa School this Sunday.
Sponsored by Wedza-born Harare businessman Parkston Choto, the series started early this year with the 38-year-old’s vision being to empower rural communities through sport.
Premier Soccer League coaches, including Whawha gaffer Luke Petros, have of late been permanent fixtures at the competitions where they also scout for raw talent. The eighth edition of the series was staged at Wedza Centre last weekend but was abandoned due to darkness as successful teams were heading to the semi-finals.
Twelve teams participated with Wedza United, St Paul’s Sango, Chemhanza and guest side Harare Select progressing to the last four.
The winners will pocket a cool US$2 000 from a total of US$6 000 available for this edition alone.
Tournament organiser, Brighton Choto, said the games couldn’t be completed last weekend as the group games’ time had to be extended to afford scouts sufficient space to spot talent.
“We had a total of 12 teams participating at the eight edition of our series. Mostly, we cut the duration of group stage games for logistical purposes but this time around, we couldn’t do that as scouts pleaded to have more space to identify talent right from the group matches,” said Choto.
“We started our series back in February and we are cutting across the whole Wedza district. We want to afford every talented footballer in the district an opportunity to express themselves and get the much-needed exposure which the rural folk often lack.
“So this weekend, we will proceed to the semi-finals at Nhumwa School where Sango, Chemhanza, Wedza United and our guest team, Harare Select, will battle it out for the top prize.”
Several scouts including some from as far as Hwange are expected to grace the event.
Tournament sponsor, Parkston Choto, said his ultimate aim is to see rural talent not only getting a chance to be identified by scouts but also earn a living out of playing football at that level.
“There is abundant talent in the rural areas across this country. So we are trying to give them the exposure they need through bringing scouts. As we speak, we have more than 16 young players who have been selected by the scouts at their academies and teams,” he said.
“Besides giving the youngsters a lift to the next stage, we are also aware that there are people out there whose talent was not nurtured at the right time but they can also earn a living by playing football. That is the reason we are also here. Very soon, we will be incorporating netball and women football so that everyone gets something from their talent.”
He applauded the talent shown by Chemhanza High School team who featured in an exhibition match last weekend.
“The performance by Chemhanza High School team impressed me a lot. I am also considering taking aboard schools so that we can include everyone in our tournaments.”
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