a�?Mat South lagging behind in coaching expertisea��

Raymond Jaravaza
MATABELELAND South Province is heavily lagging behind in the number of coaches that are professionally trained to coach young players from grassroots level, statistics by Zifa reveal.

The low figures have prompted the national football mother body in conjunction with Orap a�� Organisation of Rural Associations for Progress a�� to train teachers in a week-long grassroots course that ends on Sunday in the Umzingwane district.

According to Zifa Bulawayo Province training and development administrator Tumediso Mokoena Ndlovu, Matabeleland South has just 87 teachers that hold a Zifa Level One Certificate.
42 teachers attained a Zifa Level Two Certificate.

The figures are a drop in the ocean in comparison to the number of primary and secondary schools in the province.

a�?We understand Matabeleland South has about 513 primary schools and slightly over 180 secondary schools so the small number of teachers that have Zifa Level One and Two Certificates is very worrying.

a�?Because Fifa dictated that grassroots coaches must be properly trained to work with young players we saw it fit to train school teachers who coach school kids from as early as primary school,a�? said Ndlovu.

The week-long grassroots coaching course was attended by over 50 teachers from primary and secondary schools.

Out of the $50 that was charged for the course, the United States Africa Childrena��s Fellowship (USAFC), Supa Soccer, Round Star Foundation and Orap subsidised the fee by $30 for each participant.

Individual schools then forked out the remainder for their teachers.

a�?As an association we would like each school to have at least three trained teachers. Ita��s still a long way to go but we can only get there by regularly conducting such training coaches across the country,a�? he said.

In March this year, Zifa held a similar grassroots coaching course in Masvingo, which was facilitated by Fifa instructor Ulric Mathiot.

The major thrust of grassroots football is to take the game to all children between the ages of six and 12 years, ensuring that they are nurtured in the best possible ways through the guidance of coach educators to become not only professional footballers, but also good citizens.

The Ministry of Sport and Recreation is targeting to establish at least 8 000 football clubs countrywide. .