admin
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
FOR a team that has most of its players barefoot and is under-resourced, participation at the 2022 edition of the Mai Hondo Junior Football Tournament presents Binga Football Academy an opportunity to show the rest of the country their potential.
The academy has been invited to take part in the annual Mutare competition together with teams from Chipinge, Buhera, Mutasa, Harare, Masvingo and Rusape.
The 2022 edition is scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday, with the main event set for Sakubva Stadium on December 17.
Preliminary matches will be played at venues in Sakubva, Dangamvura, Showground and Hobhouse.
Founder of the academy Pride Ngwenya is excited to have his team take part at the tournament.
“We are more than excited to be going to this tournament. For us this is an opportunity to market ourselves and we want to make sure we utilise the opportunity. This is a national tournament and all eyes will be on the competition so we have to be at our best. I am confident the boys will perform to the best of their abilities,” said Ngwenya.
Mai Hondo Junior Football Tournament chief associate, Blessing ‘Jah B’ Mutsaka, said everything is in place ahead of the tournament.
“We are ready to host the tournament in Mutare and excited to have teams from Matabeleland North and Masvingo for the first time. We have lined up other complementary activities for youth and the community.
“These include Covid-19 vaccination, mental health coaching, voluntary medical male circumcision. We have Kenny Marange (former Fifa panel ref) as guest of honour and Charles Mabika as MC for the event,” said Mutsaka.
“We want to grow the tournament to a national event with time. We started off with Mutare teams only but now have teams from Harare, Mutare, Chipinge, Rusape, Masvingo and Binga. So adding Binga is part of that expansion plan.
“We are not expanding for the sake of expanding but to ensure we expose talent from all over the country. We hope this gives players from all places to get a chance to be exposed and possibly even get noticed for junior national teams.
“We believe spreading the wings ensures more inclusion as there is Talent all across Zimbabweans. At this tournament we plan to select the best 20 players then periodically put them in camp and compete against other teams. That way we develop a cohort of players going upwards,” Mutsaka. – @innocentskizoe
Online Reporter