Online Reporter
Nqobile Magwizi
Inside ZIFA
I often joke that I don’t need a board meeting to understand leadership dynamics. I simply need to sit quietly at the dinner table.
At home, I am blessed with five children – four energetic boys and one wonderful daughter.
On most days, the boys dominate the conversation.
They debate everything, challenge one another, interrupt each other and rarely concede a point.
For my daughter, it can sometimes feel as though she is being drowned out by the sheer force of four determined brothers.
But over the years I have come to appreciate something remarkable.
When it comes to matters that affect the family as a whole, her wellbeing, her opportunities or her future, those same brothers who compete with one another develop an almost unspoken bond.
There is a silent instinct to protect their sister, to create space for her and to ensure that she is not left behind.
They understand, perhaps without ever saying it aloud, that the family only truly grows when every child has the opportunity to flourish.
That lesson extends far beyond my home.
It reminds me of how we should think about Zimbabwean football.
The growth of women’s football is not a concession made to one part of our football family.
It is an investment in the future of the entire game.
When we create opportunities for girls, we strengthen football for everyone.
Every time the Mighty Warriors pull on the Zimbabwean jersey, they activate an important realisation.
Women’s football in Zimbabwe has never lacked talent. It has often lacked the opportunities, structures and sustained investment that allow talent to flourish.
There was a flame of hope and promise in the 2010s when corporate funding from Marange Resources and other partners turned the Mighty Warriors into a competitive outfit, culminating in their qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games.
After that high, the women’s game went into a hiatus.
But that is changing. Deliberately, steadily and with purpose.
One of the commitments we made as the ZIFA leadership was that the development of women’s football would not be treated as a separate project running alongside the rest of Zimbabwean football.
That commitment begins with leadership.
I am proud that today’s ZIFA executive committee includes outstanding women leaders helping shape the future of our game. Loveness Mukura (vice president), Alice Zeure (legal and player status chairperson), Kudzai Kadzombe (marketing chairperson) and Chido Chizondo (women’s football) bring valuable experience, insight and commitment to football governance.
Yvonne Mapika Manwa has returned as general secretary and sits on the board as an ex-officio member.
They actively contribute to decisions that affect the future of Zimbabwean football.
Football grows stronger when leadership reflects the diversity of the communities it serves. However, the real measure of progress happens on the pitch.
That is why we continue working to strengthen the Zimbabwe Women’s Premier Soccer League (ZWPSL) under the capable leadership of Chizondo and her team.
A strong domestic league remains the foundation upon which successful national teams are built.
It provides opportunities for players, coaches and match officials to sharpen their craft and gives young girls visible role models to inspire their own football dreams.
As we have said consistently throughout this column, national team success begins long before players report for camp.
It begins in communities and in schools.
It begins with opportunities.
That thinking is reflected in the BancABC Roots Impact Programme, where girls are participating alongside boys in structured Under-14 and Under-16 competitions across the country.
For many young girls, this is the first opportunity to be identified, coached and monitored within a structured national development programme.
The ZIFA Munhumutapa Challenge Cup is providing another important platform.
While the competition has captured the imagination of communities across the country, it is also expanding opportunities for young players to compete, develop and be seen by selectors.
These competitions are helping us build a genuine football pathway, where a young girl dreams realistically of progressing through provincial structures, representing Zimbabwe at youth level, earning a place in the Mighty Warriors and perhaps one day playing professionally or competing on the world’s biggest stages.
Our ambitions for the Mighty Warriors remain high.
Every qualification campaign, including the upcoming Olympic qualifiers against Malawi in October, provides an opportunity to compete and to measure our progress against some of the continent’s best teams.
In international football, success is built over many years through consistent investment in players, coaches, sports science, medical support and competitive football.
Around the world, it is inspiring young girls to participate in sport, promoting healthier communities and opening doors to education, leadership and professional careers.
Zimbabwe should embrace those opportunities.
When a young girl sees the Mighty Warriors representing her country, she should believe she can become one of them.
That belief is what motivates families to support their daughters. It encourages schools to develop girls’ football. It inspires communities to create safe spaces for young players to learn and grow.
We know there is still much work ahead and we welcome partnerships with Government, the corporate sector, schools and communities to help accelerate this progress.
The most encouraging sign is that women’s football is no longer being discussed as a side issue, but is increasingly recognised as essential to Zimbabwe’s football future and its growth makes all Zimbabwean football stronger.
And when football grows, Zimbabwe wins.
The work continues.
Nqobile Magwizi is the president of the Zimbabwe Football Association
