ZAKA could produce more players for Zimbabwe’s junior women’s teams if the inaugural LM Auctioneers Girls Soccer Festival is sustained, with football and sports officials backing the competition as a potential route from school football to the national stage.
ZIFA Masvingo Province chairperson Nabioth Magwizi and provincial district sports organiser Vengesai Chipato have urged sponsor LM Auctioneers to continue investing in the tournament, saying it has given rural girls a platform to display their talent and attracted fresh interest in the women’s game.
Held at St Joseph High School in Jerera on Saturday, the inaugural festival brought together eight teams from Zaka District, with Maningi Youth Soccer Academy beating the hosts 1-0 in the final.
Magwizi said the initiative fitted into ZIFA’s drive to identify talent at grassroots level and give promising players opportunities to progress.
“I would like to appreciate this gesture by LM to give an opportunity to the girl child from Zaka, in my province. This is in tandem with the ZIFA President’s ambitions and aspirations to develop soccer at grassroots level,” he said.
He pointed to a ZIFA programme run with BancABC, through which five youngsters were identified and went on to represent Zimbabwe at Under-15 level.
“Through ZIFA’s programme we managed to identify five kids who are now playing for the Zimbabwe Under-15, so we really encourage LM to keep sponsoring the girl child and help bridge the gap because we are still developing with regards to women’s football,” Magwizi said.
For Chipato, the festival offered more than a day of competition. He believes the quality of football and the enthusiasm generated could help Zaka schools become serious contenders at provincial and national level.
“The inaugural LM Auctioneers Zaka girls’ tournament was a huge success in terms of talent identification, generation of interest in girls’ soccer. The prizes and everything was just top notch,” Chipato told NewsDay Sport.
“In two or three years’ time Zaka schools will compete at national level if we continue on this trajectory.”
The final highlighted the advantage enjoyed by teams with regular coaching and competitive experience. Chipato said Maningi and St Joseph stood out partly because both had structured football programmes and access to qualified coaches.
“The two teams are getting proper training from qualified coaches, they have a lot of resources at their disposal, hence their good display. On top of that, most players from the two teams play Division One football in the Eastern Region,” he said.
He added that other schools also had promising players, but would benefit from more opportunities to compete against stronger opposition.
Chipato proposed holding the festival in the second school term, allowing the best performers to be selected for district and provincial teams in time to attract the attention of national team coaches and Premier Soccer League clubs.
“With LM Auctioneers’ support we can realise this dream,” he said.
He also welcomed the partnership between LM Auctioneers and the National Association of Secondary Heads (NASH), describing it as an important step towards giving girls’ football a stronger footing in schools.
“This is sweet music in our ears. We applaud the marriage between LM Auctioneers and NASH. I am sure this partnership will go a long way in improving girls’ football in the district, provincial and national level,” Chipato said.
For the next edition, he wants organisers to expand participation from eight teams to 12, ensuring more schools have a chance to compete. He also called for training equipment to be included among the prizes, giving teams something they can use long after the festival ends.
LM Auctioneers founder and managing director Lewis Muzhara has said the company intends to make the tournament an annual event. He also wants to build a pathway for participants through the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-21 age groups and, ultimately, into the national team.
The inaugural festival was open to school-going girls born in 2005 or later and marked the first time schools exclusively from Zaka District had been brought together for the competition.
