Mabvuku Academy for Sport set up

been a lot of blame game among the stakeholders.
If there is an area, which everyone appears to agree has caused the decline, then it’s been the way the country has neglected its junior development structures.
However, there are some individuals who still believe in the importance of grassroots development for sport to scale greater heights and have formed the Mabvuku Academy for Sport.
The Academy was formed early this year and will focus on cricket, athletics and football.
Project manager, William Chimuchere said they were hoping to incorporate other disciplines in the future.
“The project was formed four years ago. We started off as a soccer club for juniors named Jet Stars. We just wanted to keep the juniors busy and were affiliated to the Mabvuku/Tafara league.
“However, last year we came up with the idea to set up an academy because the standards of sport have continued to go down in the country.
“We are targeting kids between the ages of five and 18 years from nine schools in Mabvuku,” said Chimuchere.
The athletes have been divided into four age groups for both boys and girls – 5-7years, 8-10, 11-14 years and 15-18 years.
Chimuchere bemoaned the failure by authorities to implement junior development blueprints.
“There is talent in Zimbabwe but no one is identifying that talent. The objective is to go into the schools and start developing at school level.
” If we start from Primary schools we can do better in our national teams. I was impressed with ZOC for their 13-15 athletics programme. Some associations are not going back to the Primary schools, they need to come in schools and support them.
“Even clubs such as Dynamos need to play a part in the development of juniors,” said Chimuchere.