Chronicle EditorTedious Manyepo Sports Reporter
VISITING West Virginia sports management guru professor Floyd Jones believes Zimbabwe is endowed with rich sporting brains which could help put the country on the world map if they strike the right chord. Jones has been in the country this week to conduct an international sports management course conducted by West Virginia University in conjunction with the Sports Leaders Institute of Zimbabwe.
The West Virginia University lecturer, speaking on the sidelines of the Level 1 CE Certificate course, which attracted a cross section of administrators in domestic sport, said he had been impressed by the commitment to develop sport despite the tough operating environment. “It is very clear that Zimbabwe has rich sporting brains which I think can transform the standard of sport in the country.
“I think this course (Level 1 International Sports Management) has helped the participants a lot and with all the ideas they have, sport in the country will never be the same again. From the way we interacted with all the participants and the way most of them gave presentations, I have no doubt that sport in the country can improve tremendously especially if they work together,” he said.
The course, which is the first of its kind in the country attracted 89 participants drawn from primary and secondary schools, tertiary institutions, sports clubs as well as three of the best run Premier Soccer League clubs – CAPS United, FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum. FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum sent their chairmen and secretaries, while CPS United had club director Nhamo Tutisani and chief executive Cuthbert Chitima in their delegation.
The participants dealt with such key issues like the impact of social media in the sports industry and the business opportunities that could be unlocked in the digital era, effective use of the traditional media and maximum utilisation of their athletes brand products. Chitima, whose club featured in the Champions League and reached the group stages despite some financial constraints, spoke highly of the course and reckoned that it would go a long way in addressing managerial issues amongst sports clubs in the country.
“The course was very enlightening and I would like to salute SLIZ who saw to it that Zimbabwean sports administrators are afforded a chance to take up an internationally recognized course. For all those who participated, I am very sure, their attitude towards sport has been transformed for the better. The course was very helpful,” Chitima said.
SLIZ president Russell Mhiribidi said after the success of the Level 1 course, his organisation, which has been helping such countries like Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia to set up sports leaders’ institutions, was now focussing on the second stage of the sports management course. Mhiribidi said he was also happy with the support they were getting from the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture who have also embraced their regular winter, summer an autumn camps.
“As the Sports Leaders Institute of Zimbabwe, we feel very much honoured to be associated with West Virginia University. To have successfully hosted the course in unison with such a great institute shows how big strides we are making as SLIZ. We are done with the first level and we are already preparing for the next level,” he said
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