AMBITIOUS outfit Mutukwa Academy Football Club will be looking to conquer Mashonaland Central province when they play their first Division Two match at Kanyemba Secondary tomorrow.
The newly-established project, which is based in Chiweshe, is part of veteran football administrator Colonel Edward Mutukwa’s efforts to take football to the rural areas.
Mutukwa Academy Football Club are looking to gain promotion into the Northern Region Soccer League next year.
The youthful side held its player and kit unveiling ceremony at Kanyemba yesterday.
“What we have decided to do is to unveil our team, which is Mutukwa Academy Football Club. The team is set to compete in Division 2B, Mashonaland Central, for the rest of this season,” Mutukwa said.
“Therefore, our preparations have gone on very well. So the climax of our preparations have ended today with the unveiling of the team, where we have dressed the team, so that we become organised in whatever games that we are going to undertake.”
Mutukwa revealed the reason why he decided to establish a football club in his rural home and invest heavily in it.
“It’s simply the passion for football that I have. As you know, I’m a football person. I’ve been running football even at a high level,” he said.
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“Therefore, I decided to say, no, let me go home to my home area where I grew up, where I started my life, so that I also capacitate the young boys and ensure that we spread football, not only in urban areas, but down in rural areas and make it an impact in the football ecosystem in Zimbabwe.
“To start with, the club consists of players from 16 to 24 years. So we have actually said, let’s catch them while they are still young.
“Our vision is to ensure we produce complete players that can compete locally and internationally. So my vision for now is to get into Division 1 and then march on into the league as time progresses”.
Mutukwa Academy will compete with 16 other teams in the Division 2B, where the champion will go into a play-off against the winner from the Division 2A for a place in the Northern Region Soccer League (NRSL) next year.
Club chairperson Wellington Luwizhi is confident the team will be competing in NRSL football next year before moving to the premier league.
“We are targeting to go up to D1 next year. After D1, we will go into the Premier League. We have exposed the team to a number of clubs where we played friendly games and we hope with their performance that they are going to do very well,” he said.
“I want to thank the sponsor. As you can see, the kids, I have never seen a club unveiling such a kit in Mash Central. This is the first. I have visited a number of clubs that don’t have such a kit.”
Mutukwa is also paying school fees for young boys from the club to go to school at Kanyemba Secondary.
Coach Clever Nyikadzino echoed the chairman’s sentiments about conquering Mashonaland Central this season.
“We have been preparing very well we have got over a month doing our preseason training sessions so basically we are prepared to go into the new season,” he said.
“We are here to conquer Mashonaland Central Division 2 league.
“We have received so much support from the leadership going into the season.
“You can see with this unveiling of the team and kits that we are well prepared and we have nothing to worry about.”
