Munhumutapa Cup charms junior team coaches

WHEN the Mighty Warriors completed their Cosafa Cup campaign in South Africa recently, head coach Sithethelelwe Sibanda expressed her desire for the team to get more exposure.

Sibanda, who just introduced youngsters into the senior women’s side, challenged the authorities to organise more international friendlies for the team, and an improved local league to upgrade the standards of the game.

“From the team’s performance in this tournament, you can see that a lot of potential is there,” she said.

“The recent additions were quite impressive; they adjusted to the senior team’s demands very well, but there is room for further improvement, which I believe we can achieve with more support.

“Our girls need exposure, and this is something that we can only get from playing more international and local games.”

For a women’s league that only relied on league games and no tournaments, the Munhumutapa Cup was a life-changer for the women’s game.

The tournament is a first of its kind with its distinct all-embracing characteristics that take under its wings all layers of the football ecosystem, including women’s football, futsal, beach football, junior football and area zones.

Visibly, the scale of the Munhumutapa Cup competition and the exposure it offers at all age groups for competitive action should inspire clubs and administrators to strengthen governance, planning and professionalism in order to meet the demands of modern, high-value tournaments.

Young Mighty Warriors coach Garthly Chipuka heaped praises on the Cup Tournament initiative, citing that it will go a long way in improving the standards of the game, especially at grassroots and developmental levels.

“Any meaningful investment in our football is positive. For some time, the game has struggled financially, so initiatives like the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup are important because they inject resources and revive competitiveness in the football ecosystem,” he said.

“This is a welcome development, especially for junior team development, because the more game times they get, the better the quality of players we get.

“It is important for players, especially at the developmental stage, to get enough exposure before they even get promoted into the senior team because the elite level is not a developmental platform.”

Chipuka said the Munhumutapa Cup will increase exposure and competitive opportunities for female players, from junior levels to the top.

Further, he said, it will also create platforms for talent identification, especially for players who might not normally be visible in the mainstream leagues.

“Women’s football continues to face challenges such as limited funding, low visibility and fewer competitive opportunities compared to the men’s game,” added Chipuka.

“This Cup competition will help address some of those gaps by bringing attention, resources and more structured competition into the women’s football space and on a technical perspective, it will create a conducive environment for players to improve.”

Chipuka said such Cup tournaments are critical for the continued growth of women’s football in the country at a critical time when they (women) are fighting for equal opportunity, treatment and equal pay with their male counterparts.

“We are happy because the Government is also taking note of women’s football pleas; their inclusion in this Cup tournament also speaks volumes about the present Zifa leadership; they are walking the talk,” he said.

Irene Mwanza, who is also a junior women’s national team and high school coach, applauded the Cup tournament.

She said a well-resourced tournament will attract more meaningful sponsorship and pave the way for an improved talent identification platform.

“What I appreciate most is that the tournament will be all inclusive; it leaves no one and no place behind,” she said.