Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE BancABC Roots Impact Programme Tournament might have come and gone, but the lasting impression created by Sakubva United Soccer Academy (SUSA) players begs for sustained monitoring and nurturing of talented youngsters.
Team Manicaland emerged the best on aggregate points after the province’s Under-16 boys claimed pole position, while Under-16 girls settled for the bridesmaid’s position. Manicaland Under-14 boys were runners-up, while the Under-14 girls emerged the best of the crop.
All 10 provinces were represented in the tournament, with boys and girls competing at Under-14 and Under-16 levels at Prince Edward School and Allan Wilson School respectively from August 23 to 30.
But in all the success for Team Manicaland, a local talent nursery’s contribution’s to the accomplishment will not go unnoticed. Sakubva United Soccer Academy’s Ngonidzashe Tombo was named the best player for the Under-16 category, while their other young player, Tinashe Simango, a central midfield player with attacking instincts, earned the admiration of many, no wonder the nickname, Hachiro, easily stuck on him.
Richard Hachiro is an enterprising CAPS United midfielder. Sakubva United Soccer Academy financier, Washington Mandizha, said: “Tinashe Simango is a young boy who grew up in Honde Valley. I stumbled upon him in 2023 when we played Honde select in a friendly match we had organised as Sakubva United Sports Academy. The main aim was for talent scouting.
“You could see his potential, but it was raw. We signed and registered him that same year. We shaped him, and we are happy with the product we are creating.
“In terms of talent, he has the potential to be big if we continue on the path of growth we have set for him. This is just the beginning for him. His background has moulded him into a well-disciplined young boy who works hard and listens to instructions. He is a humble young boy.” On the BancABC Grassroots Impact Programme Under-16 player of the tournament – Tombo, Mandizha, said: “No doubt, he is an exceptionally fine player with a great future ahead of him. This is raw talent that was identified and moulded into a complete player. With the level of discipline that he possesses, I have no doubt that we will get to witness more achievements from the young man.”
Be that as it may, for the young players involved, the week represented much more than the pursuit of results.
ZIFA Manicaland chairperson, Kuziwa Nyabeze, said: “It was an opportunity to compete against their peers from across Zimbabwe, gain valuable match experience and, importantly, put themselves in the national development spotlight.
“The tournament is the culmination of provincial competitions under the BancABC Roots Impact Programme, which has provided regular playing opportunities for young footballers around the country. Bringing the provinces together in Harare provided another important layer to that development process. The emphasis remains firmly on development.”
According to ZIFA, players were being assessed not simply on who wins or scores the most goals, but on their technical ability, decision-making, athletic potential and capacity to develop.
The tournament therefore provided ZIFA’s technical structures with a valuable scouting platform across four categories — U-14 boys, U-14 girls, U-16 boys and U-16 girls. That pathway has taken on even greater significance following the recent appointment of national team coaches across Zimbabwe’s age-group structures.
The appointments form part of ZIFA’s drive to create greater continuity between grassroots football, junior national teams and the senior national sides.
Rather than age-group teams being assembled only when competitions approach, the objective is to establish an ongoing system of talent identification, monitoring and development.
Programmes such as BancABC Roots Impact are central to making that system work.
