adminSenior Reporter
MORE than 180 Under 16 boys from nine teams drawn from Chikanga, Sakubva, Hobhouse and Dangamvura surbubs of Mutare will sweat it out on the field of play when the first edition of the much awaited Mai Hondo Under 16 soccer tournament gets underway at various venues in the sprawling suburb of Sakubva tomorrow (Saturday).
The tournament, whose theme is “Let’s give the Youth a Kicking chance”, is sponsored by the Mutsaka Family and other well-wishers.
Matches will be played at venues that include Sports Oval, Sakubva Primary School, Sakubva Stadium (not yet confirmed), Chisamba ground (if the tournament organizers can’t secure Sakubva stadium).
The tournament has been organized under the auspices of the Mutare ZIFA Junior league and an organizing committee comprising mainly of the junior league officials, the Mutsaka family and former soccer players will run the tournament.
Spokesperson of the Mutsaka family, Blessing ‘Jah B’ Mutsaka said their aim is to revitalise junior football in the city.
“Our initiative is meant to support the development of junior soccer talent within Mutare. Junior football is the cradle of soccer in Zimbabwe. Junior leagues are however poorly supported and established business and teams concentrate on senior soccer team sponsorship.
“Without proper junior league development, Zimbabwe will continue lagging behind at senior level. Supporting junior football is akin to long term investment in soccer and human capital development. Currently, few corporates within Mutare support junior teams or the junior league in any way. The junior league and soccer teams are run by dedicated and passionate community coaches and owners who themselves face many resource constraints. The current leagues run solely on the passion of these dedicated men and women. The tournament will support the development of junior soccer through giving youngsters the opportunity to showcase their skills and compete for prizes. Many current and former warriors and premier league players have come through the junior ranks of the Mutare Junior Football League,” said Mutsaka.
Most prizes will be in the form of sports equipment and school fees vouchers as a way to encourage the youth to keep playing sport and also make the connection and balance between sports and academic school work.
Mutsaka said one of the main aims of the tournament is to convey appropriate, positive messages on youth issues
“Sport, particularly soccer is a congregating factor for youth especially here in Zimbabwe. Participating in sport fosters a sense of team spirit and well-being within the youth. It also gives youth discipline in terms of keeping to training regimes, setting targets and goals and competing fairly to achieve goals.
“These are values youth will need in their current and future lives, in other life settings not necessarily related to sport.
“The tournament hopes to support the building of these values through soccer.
“As youth get into adolescence, reproductive health issues become very pertinent.
“Knowledge of reproductive health issues is important for youth as they make the transition into adulthood,” he said.
Online Reporter