adminPlumtree Correspondent
THE Plumtree Soccer Academy project has collapsed due to funding challenges. In an interview yesterday the academy’s secretary Butholami Dube said the project which started in 1996 stopped operations last week. “The project was hit by financial challenges which were making it almost impossible to sustain operations. We have been failing to train our players due to lack of training equipment.
“We closed the academy last week and we transferred the players that were training to other teams within Plumtree,” he said.
Dube said the development was a blow to initiatives meant to nurture young players in the border town.
“We were nurturing youth talent as an academy and we produced young players that have joined Division Two teams. In 2009 we released 16 players that joined NRZ Tigers which was in Division Two by then. In 2010 two of our players joined Bantu Rovers. Thirty of our players are training with Kombani Football Club since we suspended our operations,” said Dube.
He said the academy had been training youths between the ages 14 to 20.
“A number of youngsters have benefited from this voluntary programme and our goal was to launch a team for girls as well,’’ said Dube.
Online Reporter
derick.khumalo