Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIFA yesterday scored another major milestone when according to former FIFA development officer for Southern Africa Ashford Mamelodi, they became the first country on the continent to stage an administrators’ instructors course.
The first stage of that history-making course ended at the ZIFA Village in Mt Hampden yesterday with Mamelodi hailing it as a major breakthrough in curing what has been “Zimbabwe and African Football’s Achilles Heel – the problem of governance’’.
Mamelodi has basically spent a lifetime of football administration and building the capacities of many associations in East and Southern Africa in particular.
And during those decades in the trenches Mamelodi has noted that coaches and referees have constantly built their capacities and played their part in developing the game on the continent, only to find themselves often pegged by administrators, some of who would be ignorant of what their roles entail.
It is against this background that Mamelodi who has been in the country since last Sunday, saluted ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi and his executive committee for breaking with tradition and having the vision to empower administrators across the association affiliates across the country.
It is a rigorous, three-phased course and Mamelodi is also expected to announce the list of the candidates from the 25 participants, who will advance to the next stage.
The programme reflects the full spectrum of the local football ecosystem, with administrators working at elite and grassroots levels including clubs, academies, the Premier Soccer League Zimbabwe, development leagues and schools.
Among the notable participants were Premier Soccer League chief executive Rodwell Thabe, former ZIFA General Secretary Yvonne Manwa, ex-Highlanders chief executive Nhlanhla Dube, former CAPS United administrator Joyce Kapota, and the ZIFA provincial administrators.
A founding COSAFA General Secretary, Mamelodi said ZIFA have taken a positive step in creating a conducive environment meant to improve the domestic game.
“This programme is structured to go beyond theory, so you will realise that parts of the course required them to do presentations in real time.
“We had the participants working through a mix of individual and group assignments, designed to mirror real-world challenges faced by football administrators on a daily-basis.
“Our sessions are highly interactive, encouraging the exchange of ideas, experiences and solutions that can be applied across different contexts within Zimbabwean football,’’ he said.
Mamelodi emphasised that the course is more than knowledge transfer as it aids investing in administrative capacity as a foundation for long-term success.
“It is about shaping a new generation of football administrators who understand the game, who can plan effectively, and who can run organisations in a professional and sustainable way.
“When administrators are strong, the entire football structure benefits so here we are creating an ecosystem and from here even those who don’t make it into the second phase of the program, they are already empowered.”
Mamelodi added that there is need for administrators to embrace FIFA Club Licensing as a way of bringing professionalism in football.
ZIFA acting General Secretary, Norman Gwangwadza, echoed those sentiments, stressing that the development of capable administrators is central to the association’s broader vision for the game.
“We often focus on players and coaches, which is important, but strong administration is what holds everything together,” said Gwangwadza.
“From grassroots football right up to the national teams, we need competent, ethical and forward-thinking administrators. This course is part of our commitment to building that capacity across the entire football pyramid.”
Peter Tanyanyiwa