adminMoyo started her career at Zimbabwe Saints Football Club juniors then crossed the floor to Highlanders before moving to New Orleans.
She played for New Orleans from the time she was doing her secondary school education up to the time she became the team’s coach late last year.
Moyo was called up to the Mighty Warriors in 2000 and she played with the likes of Precious Mpala, Sithethelelwe Sibanda, Fungai Nyamutukwa, Rosemary Mugadza and Ruth Banda.
She has since retired from the game that gave her fame but has not completely cut all ties with the game.
During her playing years she won a number of accolades and was also nominated for a number of prestigious awards.
The highlights of her career were probably being nominated for the Zimbabwe Annual National Sports Awards Woman Sports Person of the Year in 2004 and before that she won Africa’s Best Women Soccer Player award in 2000.
“Then competition was tough. We had sponsors and everyone wanted to play in the national team. Things were different then,” said Moyo.
She has since moved from being a player to coaching at New Orleans.
“As the captain of the club I would see how we were coached and it became easy for me to adjust. It only becomes difficult because of the relationship that we have had with the players,” she said.
Moyo said the standard of football from her playing days has changed.
She said they used to play because they had passion for the sport but now it is about how much they can earn.
“The standard of the game was high then. We used to play even though there was no money. When people realised that sport does pay the standards of the game went down because it was no longer about the sport but about the monetary value attached to it. Players are no longer taking the game seriously,” she said.
Moyo said most people believed that their team made it because they were all mature but she says it was because they had passion for the sport.
“I believe players now need counselling. They need to be told that they should not underrate teams. Most of them are too playful. An example, is the Mighty Warriors game against South Africa in Mozambique where they lost but managed to beat the same team 3-0 just recently. They tend to relax,” she said.
Moyo said for them to become good players they played the sport with their hearts and did not think about how much they would earn afterwards.
“When I played for New Orleans and the Mighty Warriors I did not want to lose. I would play only for a win and nothing else. When we lost I would cry because I was not used to it,” she said.
Moyo’s Mighty Warriors’ team was a force to reckon with in African soccer.
They displayed some of the most entertaining soccer and produced a number of stars.
Soccer supporters in the country knew that whenever the Mighty Warriors and New Orleans had a match they were in for a treat.
“For players to excel they need to be committed and disciplined. That is what got us to where we are,” she said.
Online Reporter