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Bhekimpilo Tshalibe
THE annual Collin Nyambiya Football Tournament continues to grow in leaps and bounds with Sigola Primary School emerging victorious in a five-team tournament played at Imbizo Barracks on Monday.
The teams that participated in this year’s edition are Imbizo, Maximhill, Sigola, Sihlengeni Primary Schools, and a select side known as Young Flying Stars.
Imbizo Primary beat Sigola Primary School 4-1 on penalties after the two sides drew nil all in regulation time in the finals of the tourney.
The tournament was sponsored by Mbira Tours, a local company in the safari business, which availed eight soccer balls, medals, and a floating trophy for the winners. The runners-up got six soccer balls and medals while the three other schools did not go home empty-handed as they received four soccer balls each.
Since its inception in 2003, the Collin Nyambiya Football Tournament has thrived to unearth young talent with the hope of infusing the best players into various football academies dotted around Bulawayo. Nyambiya is a former Shabanie Mine, Highlanders and Railstars FC winger.
He said he was inspired to continue looking for sponsors to bankroll the tourney after seeing an impressive crowd consisting of school kids, parents, and community members from surrounding villages in the Sigola area that turned out to watch the young boys battle it out.
“After achieving my dreams of playing professional football with some of the biggest teams in the country, I decided that it was time to empower young people by organising a tournament that would give boys and girls a chance to showcase their talents. The tournament started in 2003 so it’s been 21 years of nurturing talent and the crowd that turned out at the year’s edition is one of the reasons why I will continue looking for sponsors to work with us. We are grateful to Mbira Tours for coming on board to sponsor the 2024 edition of the Colleen Nyambiya Football Tournament. “
Guest of honour Ronald Moyo had kind words to the organisers and sponsors.
“Congratulations to Sigola Primary School for their outstanding victory in the 2024 edition of the Collin Nyambiya Football Tournament. Having once participated in this very tournament representing Sigola Primary School in the early 2000s, I remain deeply grateful for the values and ethos instilled by the competition, which played a pivotal role in shaping me as a person. It is thanks to these formative experiences that I rose to become one of the top football administrators, achieving the position of Highlanders FC CEO at the age of 30,” said guest of honour Ronald Moyo who is now the general manager with a local-based media company.
Online Reporter