Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
FOOTBALL clubs will soon be instructed to only hire qualified coaches at all levels of the game, a move that Zifa president Gift Banda says will help improve the quality of football.
Banda said the football mother body was working on a policy to implement the new changes in line with international dictates of club licensing.
The association yesterday concluded a Level One coaching clinic at Milton High School.
The course is only one of the many nationwide programmes the association has rolled out to equip coaches, starting at grassroot level.
A total of 30 coaches, including six female participants, were part of the programme conducted by Gibson Homela and Joseph Sibindi.
Addressing the participants, Banda said they were now going to be strict on clubs.
“You see a team in the premier league that struggles to hold the ball. Why is that so? It’s because they did not get proper training at junior level. We are going to be very strict going forward to make sure teams are not allowed to employ coaches that are not qualified.
“We are trying to give those that have trained opportunities so that we do not have unqualified coaches taking charge of teams.
We need to come up with a proper policy that will ensure every team including junior teams have qualified coaches,” said Banda.
Level One coaching is the stepping stone for coaching as participants attending the course are taught how to coach the game and how to work with players from the grassroots level.
Junior football is the foundation of the game of football and it is important that coaches are equipped with knowledge and skills to nurture talent hence the importance of the course.
The notable names that attended the course are Chicken Inn secretary general Tavengwa Hara, players Guide Goddard, Moses Jackson and the Gamecocks goalkeepers coach Energy Murambadoro.
Other familiar faces at the course were Ben Nyahunzvi, Samuel Mafukidze and former Highlanders defender Lawson Nkomo.
CAF courses are however still frozen pending the fulfilment of conditions set by the continental football mother body.
Zifa were ordered to set up structures before they could apply for permission and assistance from CAF.
The association is still working on satisfying conditions set by CAF in order to be allowed to conduct CAF coaching courses.
One of the critical conditions is to have a fully staffed technical directorate. – @innocentskizoe
Online Reporter