MIGHTY Warriors coach Sithetheliwe “Kwinji 15” Sibanda is impressed with the vast talent in women football that lies around and believes the future is bright for Zimbabwe women’s football.
This comes after she witnessed good level football at the ATS Schools Under 20 tournament held at Watershed School in Marondera, where Chisipite, Hellenic, Hillcrest, Masiyepambili and Girls College were involved.
“There was this enthusiasm and more importantly, the glimpse of skill that can be developed to the best if nurtured well,” the Zimbabwe women’s senior national team coach observed.
Sibanda said she was happy with the participation level of girls in football, but “what is lacking is the financial support and the resources for them to reach their full potential”, and hopes those in authority will address this.
She said in order to develop the girls’ pathway, it was important that there were more of these junior tournaments as they provided the girls with the platform to showcase their talent.
Although football has been heavily supported at school level, this has been confined to the boys’ side only, with little or no support for the girl child.
The Mighty Warriors coach has been travelling all over — and at clubs — identifying talent to build her team for future international engagements with too many fixtures coming up.
She pointed out that it was also crucial that Zimbabwe invested in its local league so that it becomes competitive to produce players good enough to attract foreign clubs.
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The Zimbabwe Women Soccer League has over the years suffered due to the non-availability of a regular sponsor as is the case with the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
The women’s Super League has and is being run like a boozers football division with matches here and there and more importantly, with clubs unsure what they are competing for.
Worse still is that — over the same past few years — funds from Fifa meant for women’s football development have been diverted to other uses, leaving the girl child with nothing to hang on.
However, the three women in the Zifa corridors of power — Zifa vice-president Loveness Mukura and board members Alice Zeure and Kudzai Kadzombe — have promised a change in the way things were being done.
