Woodlot Timbers forms Rusape football academy

Takawira Photovet Dapi and Curtworth Masango

WHEN passion meets talent, football breathes once again.

That was the case in Rusape which led to the birth of Woodlot Rusape Football Academy.

Woodlot management agreed to form a football academy after they encountered a lot of passionate youngsters while staging their Woodlot Timber tournament.

The Woodlot Timber tournament held its third tournament edition recently featuring Woodlot Timbers FC, Soft Touch FC and Chendambuya FC.

Soft Touch emerged as the tournament’s winners.

Woodlot director, Evans Pedzisai Ruziwa, was moved by the passion the youngsters displayed and felt obliged to act.

“I am in disbelief of the talent and passion I saw. The joy they have exhibited after we gave them a single ball was heart-warming. After that we eventually decided to do something big for the boys, which could be a dream come true for them.

“It is on record that come 2023, we are going to pour resources into Woodlot Rusape Academy, as we were touched and moved by the boys,” Ruziwa said.

Chairman of Woodlot Timbers FC, Dr Nicholas Munyonga, said they had a good tournament and were excited by its success.

“We had a very good tournament and we are excited about it,” said Munyonga.

“We are quite excited to have held this tournament soon after the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup. We even coined names for some players in the teams that were playing, giving them names of players that illuminated the FIFA World Cup like Messi, Mbappe, Neymar and so forth,” he said.

He believes football is a great vehicle for penetrating communities.

“We want to make sure that we continue using football as a way of penetrating communities, interacting with communities and also the fact that people got nicknames from this allows us to continue to support football initiatives as far as the Rusape community is concerned.

“We now have an academy here that we want to continue supporting as Woodlot Timbers and we want to continue to support them in a big way,” he said.

Dr Munyonga is a renowned sports medicine practitioner, who currently serves as a member of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League and ZIFA medical committees.

He has also served as the Warriors’ team doctor, and served as chairperson of the Medical and Antidoping Services for the African Union Sports Council Region 5, as well as the Africa Zone VI Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (RADO).