Byo junior football dying

Sport
BULAWAYO has always been considered as the hub of football, producing some of the country’s best players and maintaining a vibrant junior policy that has been the backbone for the national teams.

BULAWAYO has always been considered as the hub of football, producing some of the country’s best players and maintaining a vibrant junior policy that has been the backbone for the national teams. Sukoluhle Mthethwa/ Thandiwe Moyo Sports Reporters

However, in recent years the city has seen a decline in quality of players with teams producing quantity instead of quality.

When was the last time Bulawayo produced a soccer star of the year?

When was the last time Bulawayo won the Copa Coca-Cola Tournament?

It was 2001, by Mzilikazi High School. Most players in that tourney went on to become some of the most revered in the country.

Where have we gone wrong as a province?

Some have blamed it on the infrastructure, the dwindling junior policy and lack of passion within the youngsters.

Clubs that were known to produce some of the best juniors in the country include Highlanders, Zimbabwe Saints, Railstars, Mthala and Phinda Mzala.

Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs have now resorted to recycling players who have passed their sell-by date making it difficult for the youngsters to break into the top flight.

Is it because the juniors are taken for granted? Recently a team in the top-flight league showed the huge chasm between the juniors and the seniors when the two teams met in a pre-season friendly.

The young people who were meant to be developed were not given the same treatment as the senior team which has some “old horses” so to speak.

Junior development has to be taken seriously so that the quality of the product is good.

Having watched and been through seasons with different qualities of players in both the lower divisions and the PSL, analysts who include Gibson Homela, Ndumiso Gumede, Cosmas “Tsano” Zulu and renowned juniors coach Dumaza Dube believe we have a long way to go to return to the glory days.

Homela said despite the fact that the infrastructure is available, there is a lot that still needs to be done to improve on the calibré of players produced.

“The infrastructure is there, but it could be better. What needs to be improved is the organisation. The quality of players that have been produced in the past has been average. We are not concentrating on developing the players, but clubs now resort to holding trials for them to identify talent. We should go to these academies and juniors matches and watch them play for us to be able to identify the talent,” Homela said.

He said the fact that clubs were recycling players is destroying junior football.

Zifa have maintained that any coach be it in school or at club level should, at least have a level two coaching certificate.

However, this has not been the case and Homela acknowledges that has hampered development of youths in the sport.

Former Merlin Husk coach Themba Tshuma who coached the likes of Enerst Maphepha Sibanda, Nkululeko Dlodlo, the late Makheyi Nyathi and Bulawayo deputy mayor Gift Banda, said qualified coaches have to go into schools and coach youngstars.

“What kills our sport is that they (schools) do not ask for help from qualified coaches. Schools in Mashonaland make use of qualified coaches to take charge of their teams,” he said.

Former Warriors’ forward Joel Luphahla was roped in by Churchil Boys’ High School with Gift Zvavanhu, formerly with AmaZulu .

Gumede said the collapse of youth clubs that had been set up by the City Council was the major contributing factor to the type of players that Bulawayo is producing.

“In the past all old western suburbs had youth clubs where these players were developed. I was developed in a youth club setup, Peter Ndlovu also came from there. They have now closed and have been turned to women’s clubs and churches, “ he said.

Southern Eye visited Inyathi Youth Centre grounds in Mpopoma where Bulawayo Angel Stars trains.

Despite efforts by local organisations to revamp the ground it has proved fruitless as locals opened pathways within the ground making it difficult for the organisations to plant a lawn.

Gumede also cited the lack of funding as a prohibitive factor for development.

Teams such as Bulawayo Angel Stars who would want to contribute in the development of the sport, do not have funding to play in the junior league and are forced to sit on the sidelines.

The lack of equipment and training kits for such teams also hampers their development.

Zulu said for development to start Zifa has to create posts for technical officers who would look into the promotion of players from the junior ranks.

“Most players come from the junior leagues, but because only a few people watch the lower divisions these young people are not recognised. Zifa has to have provincial coaches who will identify these players for future national teams. They also have to go into schools, clubs and academies. That is where the likes of Alexander Maseko and Dumisani Nyoni came from,” he said.

Juniors coach Dube also lamented on the issue of youth clubs saying: “There were a number of clubs where these children could be developed, but where are they now? At the moment Bantu Rovers and Chicken Inn are the only teams that have junior development at heart. Junior development is a project and should be a well-funded project.”

It all boils down to action. If it is all talk and no action from organisations such as Zifa, Sport and Recreation Commission through community sports development programme, clubs, the city council, and the government then we remain stagnant.