Chronicle Editor
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
HIGHLANDERS FC chairman, Kenneth Mhlophe has allayed fears the club’s famed junior policy is under threat following the departure of three age group coaches.
The entire Bosso junior’s technical department comprising Gift Lunga (Junior), Sizabantu Khoza and Dan Ngwenya has left the club with the latter having handed in his resignation last week. The vacant coaching desk has left the Highlanders family worried the team could be on the verge of losing its juniors.
However, Mhlophe said they were equally concerned about the development and would be moving quickly to rectify the situation. He said the biggest challenge was the funding of junior structures with the lower teams being funded from gate takings, which are, however, not coming as the season is on hold due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“It is always difficult to hold on to any workers when they have found a better offer elsewhere which you cannot match. We have had challenges in terms of financing the juniors and we have relied heavily on the gate takings and kind gestures from our supporters so with no income from matches we have not had adequate funds to meet the coaches’ salaries. At this moment the struggle is we are under challenging times caused by the Covid-19 pandemic with reduced income for most people and businesses but we are eager to ensure all is in order for our juniors,” said Mhlophe.
He said they would be seeking new coaches within the “Highlanders family” to fill in the posts while coming up with efforts in the long term to ensure juniors teams are well-funded. A barren sponsorship landscape has made it difficult for football teams to adequately finance development efforts with funding packages mainly directed towards the senior teams playing in the top flight leagues where marketing efforts are more visible.
Zifa has initiated Under-15 provincial leagues countrywide that would see the football governing body fund teams that make up part of the structures to foster development in every province. Lunga, who was in charge of the Under-18 side, left Bosso last year in May while Khoza, who coached the Under-16, moved to Nabals at the beginning of the year. Ngwenya, who led the Under-14, is reportedly set to join Khoza at the Division Two side which had approached Bosso seeking a swap with the Division One developmental team, Bosso90.
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