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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
HE was a complete rugby star during his playing days.
Unrivalled stamina, incredible speed, tough-tackling, great interceptor of the ball and a scorer of crucial tries.
A period spanning a dozen years in the rugby trenches is no joke, given the demands of the game.
Gerald Sibanda is a legend of this physically, mentally and even spiritually straining sport code.
He navigated the terrain quite remarkably and helped put Zimbabwe on the rugby map, alternating between his preferred wing and central positions.
Sibanda had successful stints in top European clubs, including Scottish giants, Gala, as well as Dinamo Bucharest in Romania.
Capped 30 times with the national senior 15s side, the Sables, Sibanda remains one of the finest 7s players the country has ever had as his numbers with the Cheetahs are between gigantic and massive.
He has 45 World 7s tries in the World Series in his impressive bucket of statistics and in 2009, he was named among the best Sevens players in the World after he captured imagination in that year’s 7s World Cup.
Whilst, Sibanda navigated the rugby landscape, which was in most cases undulating, he realised there were so many gaps which has always led athletes particularly from Zimbabwe to end up terminating their dreams.
He came up with his sports consultancy, Athletes Sphere Management, which seeks to plug those gaps.
“I have always argued that a lot of talented athletes end up losing interest in sport due to frustration,’’ said Sibanda.
“You know how it is performing well but realising your efforts are not being recognised.
“I have travelled across the globe and have always wondered how certain athletes back home have failed to be identified as they are good enough to play in the best leagues, conferences and regions in the world.
“Look, I am saying, we have talented athletes in Zimbabwe who, if given an opportunity to play in the best leagues can always flourish.
“Look at Marvellous Nakamba, the Zimbabwean footballer doing wonders at Aston Villa in the English Premier League.
“How many players do you know from Zimbabwe who are as good as Nakamba or even better but some have actually hung their boots in frustration? It is because there are less organisations to promote them.
“I have seen that and I have decided to play my own part in promoting sport in general and athletes in general. That is where my passion is.”
Just two years after its registration, the ASM, has moved mountains.
Not only is the sport management concern concentrating on Zimbabwean athletes.
It has adopted the wider spectrum and even sportspersons from as far afield as the United States are signing up with the Zimbabwean ambitious sports management firm.
It is ASM in whose books, Leicester City International Academy coach, Alistair Heath, who was one of the four short-listed candidates for the Warriors coaching job belong.
Heath was among the quartet who made the final shortlist for the country’s biggest coaching job together with Dutch mentor, Erol Akbay, Joey Antipas and Croatian tactician Zdravko Logarusic who eventually landed the post.
Heath though, according to Sibanda has offered to help with grassroots development despite losing out on his ultimate goal.
Sables star Cleopas Kundiona who was part of the all-conquering Zimbabwe side which won the Victoria Cup last year after losing just once to Kenya, in the last insignificant game away in Nairobi long after the cup had been wrapped, also owes his success story to ASM.
It is ASM which adopted him during his days at Harare Sports Club and negotiated for a development one-year contract with Raiders in South Africa.
It was during his days at Raiders that Kundiona was identified by Sharks, where the prop currently plays professional rugby regularly.
Former Matabelaland Warriors lock, Kuda Nyakufaringwa is hoping to follow in Kundiona’s footsteps after he was as well placed at Raiders by ASM.
Online Reporter