Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWEAN football is headed in a positive direction.
That was the message as Zimbabwe Football Association celebrated the graduation of the National Executive Administration and Management Instructors “Class of 2026” in Harare yesterday.
Drawn from across the nation, 15 new instructors were honored after five months of intensive training in what is Zimbabwe’s first structured national “teach the Teachers” program.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony which was attended by COSAFA, Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, Premier Soccer League among other football stakeholders, Veteran African football administrator Ashford Mamelodi who oversaw the program said the moment was deeply personal for ZIFA.
Mamelodi has witnessed the good, bad and the ugly of Zimbabwean football.
“This new ZIFA executive makes us all finally believe that real change in Zimbabwean football has arrived,” he said.
“Their willingness to take responsibility for the country’s current predicament and come up with solutions for a way forward means a lot.”
Conducted in three phases since May 2026, the program equipped 30 initial participants with administrative knowledge, teaching methodology and presentation skills.
Of that number, only 15 progressed to the final stage in which they were divided into three teams (of five) to deliver courses in Bulawayo, Gweru and Harare.
The new directors will now be divided into two panels to spearhead administration courses nationwide and play a leading role in professionalizing domestic football from the grassroots.
Their responsibilities will include training football administrators, developing leadership capacity, promoting good governance and supporting key football areas.
Mamelodi said they will also be tasked with training Heads of Delegation and where required, serve national teams and other structures during international competitions.
“I am proposing a bold future where completing a ZIFA Administration and Management course becomes a prerequisite for election or appointment into ZIFA structures and affiliated clubs…however, I am not saying it should happen today,” added Mamelodi.
ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi said the graduation marks the beginning of a bigger journey for Zimbabwean football as the association strives to turnaround the game.
“We continue to move forward, we are also looking at our dream as ZIFA, which is to participate in our first World Cup in 2030,” he said.
