adminGrace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
SPORT, Arts and Culture Deputy Minister, Tabetha Kanengoni-Malinga, says sport should be nurtured from grassroots rather than just focus on what is happening on the grand stage. Speaking during a meeting with the Under-15 girls soccer team, currently in camp in preparation for the Africa Championships set for Botswana next year, Kanengoni-Malinga said it was important to identify and nurture talent from a tender age.
The team is conducting a seven-day camp to prepare for the championships pencilled for next May in Gaborone.
Yesterday, the deputy minister, met the jovial teenage girls and their technical department at the Zifa Village where the team is camping.
“We are talking about grooming young talent, the future of Zimbabwean sport. We are not supposed to wait until we have world-class players but we have to start from the grassroots,” said Kanengoni-Malinga.
“We need to be part of all the difficulties the teams would be going through and not only be part of the success story.
“As Government we are unable to fund everything but it is about thinking outside the box and approaching the corporate world.
“Tax incentives should also be introduced for the corporate world so that they can partner sport and our teams are fully resourced,” she said.
She said at times Government was not aware of challenges facing the national or representative teams.
She noted that as a ministry they felt embarrassed when it was reported that the Young Warriors were playing at the Cosafa Cup tournament in Lesotho with one kit which was not even branded with a Zimbabwean flag or the Zifa logo.
The young girls were excited to meet the deputy minister and sang for their visitor, using their nicknames to introduce themselves while Kanengoni-Malinga hugged each one of them and had lunch with the teenagers.
Zimbabwe Women Soccer boss Mavis Gumbo said the deputy minister had inspired the girls by meeting them and offering her support.
“I know that if someone is doing something good, I am more inspired by it than when I hear someone talking about doing something good.
“So, for these young ladies here today, to meet a Deputy Minister of Sport, who is also a young woman, is more inspirational than any book they could ever read.
Gumbo added that the Mighty Warriors were set to go into camp last night to prepare for the traditional Unity Day Challenge which this year would be played on December 21 against Lesotho at Rufaro.
The national women’s soccer team is scheduled to leave on Unity Day for Cairo where they will play against Egypt on Christmas Day.
“We have a special bond with Unity Day because it is on this day in 2010 that we placed the Mighty Warriors blazer on His Excellency President Robert Mugabe and asked him to become our chief patron.
“To our great joy, he accepted our request and we are forever proud to be associated with such a great and revolutionary man,” said Gumbo.
Online Reporter