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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
IN A bid to create a wider pool for the Mighty Warriors, the women’s football Northern Region is set to launch a tournament tomorrow night at the Rainbow Towers Hotel that will identify players for the School of Excellency.
The School of Excellency has been earmarked to groom young female players that would have been selected from the region’s clubs.
The ambitious drive is set to be launched this Saturday by the region’s two patrons, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Paul Mavima, and Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development, Sithembiso Nyoni.
The two Ministers were recently appointed as the patrons for the ambitious Northern Region that is making spirited efforts to revive the region that has always produced the bulk of the players that went on to play for the Mighty Warriors as well as the age-group teams of the Mighty Warriors.
The School of Excellency will identify players and hone their skills by holding periodic training camps that will also equip the girl child with information relating to the dangers of early pregnancy, and drug and substance abuse.
FIFA instructor, Nelson Matongorere, and CAF instructor, Rosemary Mugadza, will lead a cast of coaches that will work with the young players.
Northern Region chairman, Peter Gonyora, said their aim is to ensure that they continue to supply the national teams with youthful players.
“At one-time women’s football was at the highest level and we even competed at the Olympics but right now we are struggling to compete with the likes of Botswana.
“So this is a deliberate decision to revive the Northern Region which prides itself on having produced the core of the players that played for the Mighty Warriors and the Young Mighty Warriors. We want to have grassroots junior structures so that once the likes of players like Marjoury Nyaumwe and others retire we will still have good players in the national team’s fold.
“We have requested the two Ministers to assist us in drumming support and mobilising resources from the corporate world. They have since hosted a fundraising dinner and we managed to raise some funds.
“We want to have a database of players so that national team coaches have a strong pool to choose from including efforts from other regions,” said Gonyora.
The Northern Region chairman added that the School of Excellency will assist the drive by addressing a number of topical issues that affect female footballers.
“We will start by selecting 50 kids and these players will come from 11 clubs that are in the Northern Region.
“The first tournament will be played on October 29 at Alex Sports Club.
“Although we are starting with 50 players, we are looking forward to increasing the numbers in the future.
“We are also looking forward to working with different partners from organisations such as Childline and other organisations that cater for girl child welfare as we seek to impart life skills as well as football basics to the players,” said Gonyora.
Last month, the region’s patrons held a fundraising dinner where the Ministers managed to raise some funds for the region.
Part of those funds will be channelled towards the end-of-year awards that will be hosted by the region to reward players that would have shone in the division.
Minister Mavima believes that women’s football teams have proved that they are a force to reckon with and must be supported. Minister Nyoni also believes that the girl child deserves all the support for her to prosper and break barriers.
However, in return, the Ministers also hope that the region and its three provincial leagues will be governed professionally, transparently, effectively, and efficiently.
Online Reporter