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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THERE’S a new fashionable football sponsorship trend of rewarding teams with equipment that is growing countrywide and that is proving to be exciting for Zifa who believe the trajectory speaks volumes of commitment to developing the game.
The festive season has seen tournaments held in major cities, rural areas as business people and community members use them to bring people together to celebrate.
Zifa acting president, Gift Banda, who had his youth tournament final postponed to a later date due to a waterlogged Njube Desert gave all the participating eight Under-17 teams football equipment that they will use to develop their skills.
“There’s a commendable trend that every person who is serious about developing the game is doing, scraping off monetary prizes for football equipment.
This has been happening across the country where there are these holiday tournaments and we really appreciate the value, dedication and commitment shown by benefactors of these competitions. What they are doing is not only making sure that young footballers are occupied by playing at their tournaments and getting them away from social ills by rewarding them with football equipment that they will later use,” said Banda.
Former Zifa Southern Region board member Tumeliso “Drogba” Moekoena-Ndlovu held a two-day open tournament for 10 junior teams who he gave training kits, soccer balls, bibs, cons and medals.
Stating why he decided to give out football equipment, Mokoena-Ndlovu said: “We don’t believe in giving out cash prizes in junior football because what normally happens is that it’s the club owners or administrators who benefit at the end of the day and the young players get nothing. For that reason, we gave out training kits, soccer balls, bibs, cons and medals to all the teams.”
United Kingdom-based former Thorngrove footballer Mduduzi Nkiwane held a four-team Under-13 competition where prizes included individual trophies, a full kit for the winners with 16 tops, 16 shorts and socks tournament.
Thandanani, Makokoba, Pumula and Thorngrove competed in the inaugural Mdula competition.
In Mutare, Binga Academy were part of the 32 teams that battled it out at the Mai Hondo tournament where participants were rewarded with balls, kits and cons.
Renowned football coach Bongani Mafu who is known for his passion for development, believes rewarding youngsters with equipment ignites passion and helps in creating lasting excitement.
“Surely rewarding participants with football equipment is now the biggest and fashionable trend. It’s likeable. The junior teams now get the equipment to use and train. I’d like to encourage more tournament organisers to put equipment instead of giving clubs money when doing junior tournaments.
“My hope is that when these clubs get the equipment, the youngsters and their teams will use it wisely and maintain it since they know that they worked for it and it didn’t come on a silver platter,” Mafu said. — @ZililoR.
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