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Bruce Chikuni-Sports Reporter
ZIFA’s FIFA Forward manager, Kudzai Chitima, says he has witnessed overwhelming reception of the development programme, which the football association has rolled out across various provinces in the country.
Chitima was appointed by FIFA to be their point man at ZIFA who handles the budgetary and logistical matters related to development, especially at the grassroots level.
Part of his roles at ZIFA include applying for funds, which will cater to talent developmental schemes for boys, girls, coaches, referees, and administrators’ education.
He is also expected to lead these projects from scratch to completion, and three provinces have benefited from this initiative so far. Chitima yesterday told Zimpapers Sports that his target is to cover the remaining provinces by November before unlocking the next phase of support from FIFA.
His next move will be monitoring and evaluating the impact of the program.
“Initially, some districts were skeptical, wondering if they would eventually be asked to pay a fee for the program.
“However, as the initiative unfolded, their doubts dissipated, replaced by gratitude and enthusiasm,” Chitima said.
“The project has brought joy to all the provinces which we have visited and it’s very encouraging that people are seeing the vision of what we are trying to achieve.
“The ultimate goal is to empower schools and communities through football, fostering a love for the sport and promoting overall development,” said Chitima.
Chitima also outlined what the project aims to achieve after completing its initial goal.
“The next phase requires us to focus on monitoring and evaluation, assessing the program’s impact on the number of children expressing interest in playing football.
“The number of teachers trained under the “Train the Trainer” courses and the number of downloads for the FIFA Football For Schools application designed to aid teachers in delivering engaging sessions,” he said.
Chitima also emphasised the significance of this evaluation, as it will help refine and improve future initiatives.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter