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GWER-based Premiership outfit Chapungu have set up a football academy at Suri Suri Airbase near Kadoma in a move aimed at nurturing talent to feed into the side.
Chapungu chief executive officer Chris-Levie Mukotekwa said the academy was re-established after a failed attempt in 2008 when it folded at its infancy due to the harsh economic environment which prevailed then.
“We have re-established our academy at our Suri Suri base where we have all the junior age-groups. Our drive is to nurture talent at an early age and those who qualify will graduate into the Chapungu senior team.
“However, we are not going to churn out players for Chapungu only but for other clubs as well and going as far as exporting our talent in the region and abroad,” he said.
The academy will be under former Tongogara and Chapungu coach Tom Ruzive.
Mukotekwa said the club was in the process of attaching coaches with some schools with the sole purpose of identifying young talent.
“We will soon move into schools where we will second some of our coaches which will act as a breeding ground for talented players who will then be attached to the academy,” said the chief executive officer.
Mukotekwa said the move to come up with an academy will also bring back Chapungu’s glory days.
He said next season they will be challenging for honours.
He said the issue of junior development has in the past paid dividends for the airmen most of the players in the team came from their junior development.
The ambitious Chapungu project comes hard on the heels of another set up by Harare City who engaged Masimba Dinyero and Elvis Chiweshe last week.
FC Platinum who have just promoted Ronwell Mathuthu to the first team, Bantu Rovers, Chicken Inn and Highlanders are some of the teams that have good junior structures.
Online Reporter