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Mandla Moyo, Sports Reporter
AN impressive number of aspiring footballers reported to the Soccer for Life camp held at Mavela Secondary School in Tsholotsho last week.
Zenzo Ndlovu, the brains behind the project assisted by teachers conducted the training camp which was made up of over 50 boys plus two female players aged below 14. Coaches were the first to take their positions in the class as Zenzo took them on the important aspects of handling players as well as pertinent issues within the game of football.
“The whole idea of this project is to bring the participants close to God through football so that we keep them away from the streets, however, the gospel part of it is not compulsory but is dependent on the consent of the individual player.
“At the same time Tsholotsho being home to some noticeable players like Joel Luphahla, Siza Khoza, among others that went on to play at the highest level in Zimbabwe it is our desire to contribute to the to the growth football by identifying more talented players,’’ Ndlovu said.
The last phase of the camp was a mini “World Cup” where all players went home clad in a brand new soccer uniform donated by Soccer for Life. Two pairs of similar soccer kits were handed over to the project.
Ndlovu went on to urge the nation to make use of its freeing contingent to players to help gather together resources for grassroots at their respective bases.
“As a nation we have a lot of players playing professional football abroad, if we can work with these players to assist the country to mobilise equipment through the contacts they have established there a lot equipment can be harnessed.
“Some of these players played for a number of teams during their career therefore we need to make use of the networks to source equipment for our grassroots football.
“Furthermore for those that have other commitments instead of establishing academies they can as well donate towards such equipment towards certain projects.”
When asked why he had seen it fit to embark on this Christian driven project which he established in 2017 he said the main purpose was to help as well as inspire others to come on board.
“I am doing this initiative so that maybe I can reach out to those players to see the need to come back home and assist the communities, that way we can change lives,” said Ndlovu.
As part of motivating the players, medals were awarded to winners in various categories from academic, on the field of players as well as religious knowledge shown. The next port of call was Thorngrove in Bulawayo where similar activities were conducted, followed by a soccer tournament in Makokoba. For those who dream of making a breakthrough into better leagues the message from Ndlovu is simply to disengage from all detrimental activities while focusing on your mission.
Online Reporter