Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
MUTARE hardware entity, Top Striker, is keeping its word of supporting junior football in the eastern border city after handing over the first batch of specialised goalposts for Under-11s to the Sicho Masachi Under-11 League on Monday.
For younger or less experienced players, and in smaller-sided games, using a full-sized goal can be impractical.
Smaller goals are thus employed to maintain a balance between skill development and enjoyment.
This scaling is a considered process, taking into account the players’ physical abilities and development levels.
Using goal sizes that match the players’ skill and game format is essential as it ensures that the game remains challenging, yet achievable, which is particularly important in youth football for fostering skill development and enjoyment.
Timothy ‘Sicho’ Masachi, a veteran junior football coach, whose La Sakubva project has produced numerous players that have turned out for Premier Soccer League clubs, let alone the national team, heartily thanked Top Striker Hardware for the kind gesture.
“I would like to thank Top Striker Hardware for supporting the Sicho Masachi Under-11s League project by giving us these goalposts. If we get more people like them assisting our project, I think we will produce more quality and talented players in the near future for Zimbabwean football,” he said.
Liberty Gumede, the owner of Top Striker Hardware, said this is just the start of a relationship that will culminate in other interventions.
“We are happy with the relationship that we have created with La Sakubva as well as the junior football fraternity. This is just the start of a relationship that will culminate in other interventions,” said Gumede.
Masachi underscored the importance of having the Under-11s playing competitively.
“As grassroots football, the Under-11s are like the ‘ECD’ of football. It is of great importance to nurture talent at that early stage. The reason we have players who fail to display basics such as ball control in our top-flight league is simply because they did not learn those crucial basics at the right stage,” said Masachi.
The La Sakubva coach also highlighted some of the needs of the talent nursery project.
“We need size four footballs for teams as size four is the right size for this age group. Transport for travelling teams to match venues is also a challenge.
“We also need kits for all the teams in the league. We want them to wear the right size of jerseys, football boots as well as goalkeeping gloves for the goalkeepers. A lot of these kids are playing barefooted and wearing oversized senior players’ uniforms. Tournaments sponsorship for this age group will also be of great value. Weekly, monthly and end-of-year awards sponsorship for the league champions will also come in as a morale booster. We would like to have a select side of this age group that will travel to play with other Under-11s nationally or even internationally,” said Masachi.
La Sakubva, SAFA, Sakubva United Sports Academy, Blacks Academy, Mutare City, Sporting Athletes, Destiny Juniors, City Vellos, FC Young Boys and Sheckon Stars make up the list of teams taking part in the league for the 2025 season. The league secured sponsorship from Top Striker Hardware after the intervention of Mutare football enthusiast and Scottland FC fan, Malvin ‘Schneider’ Makarawu.
