ZIFA has taken a major step towards strengthening grassroots football by introducing nationwide training programmes for referees and coaches in schools.
The initiative is aimed at ensuring that young talent, especially in rural and remote areas, is no longer wasted due to a lack of proper technical guidance. The programme is part of the US$200 000 BancABC Roots Impact project, which was launched in Harare two weeks ago.
Through the programme, Under-14 and Under-16 boys’ and girls’ teams from all provinces will participate in a newly established junior football league. The competition will begin at zonal level, after which provincial teams will be selected to compete at national level as ZIFA seeks to promote year-round football at grassroots.
For years, one of the biggest challenges in school football has been the shortage of trained personnel. Most referees and coaches at school level have been teachers who volunteered out of interest but lacked proper football training.
ZIFA has now decided to address this gap by equipping school authorities with professional training, which is expected to be rolled out across the country in the coming weeks.
In a statement, ZIFA said "As ZIFA, we are fully aware of the deficiencies at elementary and school levels when it comes to football development.
“We would like to applaud our teachers and educationists who have always made sure that football is played at schools.
“Their passion has been unparalleled, and we have seen a lot of their products making it into the national teams and representing the country at an international level.
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“We have come to realise that football starts at the base. We are thankful to BancABC for putting in the financial resources to ensure that we implement our vision. We hope to start reaping the fruits of this initiative very soon.
“But we have realised that we also need to train referees and coaches for this project to be fully functional. We will be rolling out the training starting soon across the country.”**
Education bodies such as the National Association of Primary Heads (NAPH) and the National Association of Secondary Heads (NASH) have previously raised concerns about the lack of technical expertise in school football.
NAPH president Cephas Mutumhe welcomed the initiative, saying it would significantly improve football development in schools.
“We are very excited by this development. ZIFA have just answered what we have always been questioning all along.
“The training of both referees and coaches will go a long way in developing the youngsters at schools. This will empower teachers and fully capacitate them in technical terms.
“We are waiting for the programmes to start with bated breaths. We are more than ready to partake in this training. Imagine some of our members have had to outsource experts at an extra cost to get the job done. But the courses will bridge that gap and go a long way in capacitating us.”**
ZIFA has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, with the training programme forming part of the agreement to strengthen football development in schools nationwide.
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