Online Reporter
Curtworth Masango
Zimpapers Sports Hub
Deep in Matabeleland North, a beacon of hope has emerged in the form of Binga Academy, a non-profit community-based football academy that is changing the lives of young talents.
Coached by Pride Ngwenya, the academy has been making inroads in the country’s junior football scene.
Binga Academy has managed to forge relationships with other local established academies and managed to also participate in celebrated junior football tournaments like Amai Hondo Soccer Trust tournament in Mutare, the Dynamos Grand Challenge Cup in Harare, and the Nomsa Boys Moyo tournament in Bulawayo. The academy has emerged as champions in two of these tournaments.
The Academy has also emerged as a social champion as it is offering a platform against drug and substance abuse and early child marriages.
In an interview with Zimpapers Sports, Ngwenya said:
“We have brought about great impact as an academy in fighting against social ills. We have seen some school dropouts going back to school through our back to school initiative where we have gone in almost all our rural communities doing awareness campaigns through football.”
The academy has recently taken its talents to the regional stage, playing against teams from other countries.
A recent tour of Zambia was particularly enlightening, with the boys getting exposure and the technical team learning from top coaches and football administrators.
“It was really nice and educative. The boys got the special exposure so as the technical team.
“We had a great time learning from top coaches and football administrators, we had a chance to train and learn from the best, and shared a lot of football insights from the Zambia under 20 national team before they left for Afcon,”
Ngwenya added,
“Our target as an Academy is to have our own land and start projects that will help these young stars to be self-sustainable in their development as human beings.
“Not all the boys and girls will take it to the professional level but at the end of the day they will learn a lot about life experiences to will help them to change their lives.”
