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Tadious Manyepo
Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services are working on modalities to establish an all-encompassing sports academy at their training centre near Bulawayo.
Speaking at a donation ceremony of netball training and playing equipment by the senior netball team captain, Felistus Kwangwa, to her former club Correctional Queens last Thursday, ZPCS Sports Officer, Richard Tarange, said his organisation is working towards establishing a sports nursery.
The ZPCS are currently riding on success stories being written by their products who include Kwangwa who now turns out for Surrey Storm in the Vitality Netball League in England.
It is the same organisation that nurtured Nigeria-based Mighty Warriors player Berita Kabwe, who plays for River Angels, and Chido Dzingirai, who plays for ZIDF in the Zambian top-flight football.
“We currently have an initiative called Youth Empowerment through sport which has helped groom such stars like Kwangwa, Kabwe and Dzingirai,” said Tarange.
“As the head of sport, I would like to thank the command element for coming up with that idea, it is bearing remarkable fruits.
“We are now seeing a lot of players from different sport codes who came through our own oven making it at foreign clubs and making the grade in the national teams. That means this initiative is working some wonders.
“Our thrust now is on establishing an academy of repute at our training centre where young recruits can have their talent developed. Our ultimate aim is to give a chance to the youngsters who would not have that exposure to flourish and possibly represent the national team.
“That way our national teams will never run dry with the ZPCS academy one of the key reservoirs.”
Kwangwa said she feels obliged to bail out a team which gave her the platform to showcase herself to the world.
“Correctional Queens is my home without which we wouldn’t be talking of Felistus Kwangwa,” Kwangwa said.
“My ultimate aim is to play my part in the development of netball at Correctional Queens and the country in general. I feel at home when I am with my former teammates at Correctional Queens. These ladies are special in more ways than one.
“These are the ladies who helped me become who I am today. They were fighting for every ball, passing me the ball, receiving my passes and coordinating the general play and I should say they made me. They are just special.”
Kwangwa, who was spotted by her current club while pulling the strings for the Gems in the 2019 Vitality World Cup in Liverpool, England, said the key ingredient in the rise of an athlete is patience.
“All I can advise those players who are still growing is that they have to be patient in how they go about their business. They should put more work on the court and be patient. Look, I started playing netball when I was barely nine years old but got this breakthrough when I was 25.
“It may not be as easy as we think but focus and patience are the two things which should build a player.”
Online Reporter