Dynamos junior policy alive

most local clubs.
Among those clubs that have been criticised about their junior development system is Dynamos – the country’s biggest club.
However, if one makes a close follow-up, one will find that the junior development programme is still vibrant at the Glamour Boys.
They have four teams in different age groups – Under-13, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-20 – that are training under the guidance of Herbert Maruwa and Tonderai Ndiraya. Three of the teams are riding high in the Harare Province Junior league with their Under-13 and Under-15 teams enjoying top spot in their age-group while the Under-17 team is second on the log tables.
Maruwa said there is need for people to understand that when grooming young players patience is key.
“The junior development programme for Dynamos has always been there before I joined this club. However, it is now vibrant as compared to the past,” said Maruwa.
“We have four age-groups we are training and for the Under-13 we are taking players as young as nine-years-old.
“We are now training here at Raylton Sports Club and we are saying it’s now open to everyone.
“We used to train at Churchill Boys High School with most of the players coming from the school.
“When I came here in 2009, the structures already existed but the problem we faced was age-cheating. Most of the players were over age and we were failing to attract good players.
“We had to work to ensure that we had the proper ages, that’s why Dynamos took some time not producing players.”
Maruwa said they were focusing on long-term strategy that would bring good players into the club.
“We want to produce a quality product. The problem is that most coaches are interested with instant results.
“Dynamos is a big club and the pressure from the supporters is high because they want results but we are saying it doesn’t help to work with players who are over age because at the end of the day we are not helping the situation.
“Training differs according to age-groups and you will find that those players lying about their age won’t be able to fit in.”
The 35-year-old coach said there is need for clubs to take junior development serious.
“For us the young players grow up knowing the culture at Dynamos, so it is important to start with these young players because they will learn a lot,” said Maruwa.