MUTARE – The newly established football academy – Manicaland Juniors of Excellence Soccer Academy (MAJESA) – is focusing on developing quality players that can compete at any level.
In an interview on the sidelines of MAJESA’s colourful launch ceremony held at a hotel last Saturday, Charles Chave, the entity’s founding chairman, said Zimbabwe’s junior football must be empowered.
“Our football prospects require that junior players be exposed at
the highest level and at a very young age,” he said.
“The future of Zimbabwe’s football success story lies in juniors.
“There is, therefore, the need to empower them.
“As MAJESA, we want the young players to become productive participants in the country’s sustainable economic football development,” Chave explained.
“Our major aim as an academy is to produce world class footballers. I have realised that playing regularly at a younger age is critical to football development as a country,” he added.
Chave said the academy was seriously considering junior football promotion through providing platforms for talented youths in Manicaland.
“We want to offer special recreational and educational opportunities to the multitudes of youths in Manicaland,” he explained.
The co-founder of the academy, Samson Kabwe, a former Motor Action Football Club player, said the academy would provide market opportunities for players from the academy.
“We want the players to consider football as a career.
We, therefore, are calling on parents to bring their children to the academy for free,” Kabwe said.
“We want to establish partnerships with all stakeholders so that they come on board and make Manicaland a football talent hub,’ said the former Mighty Bulls star.
Wilfred Mutekede, the Zimbabwe Football Association technical director, who was one of the top guests at the launch, said:
“The responsibility rests with the academies. They need to be able to
develop players that can play at the highest level at a young age,” he said.
“Academies have a task of training players of quality in order to achieve the desired results in the near future.
“I am hopeful that this academy (MAJESA) will have the
opportunity and potential to produce a national soccer star who will be an asset to the national team,” Mutekede added.
Veteran football journalist and broadcaster Charles ‘CNN’ Mabika, who also attended the occasion, believes that MAJESA is capable of changing the lives of the youths in Manicaland through soccer.
“I am happy with this project as it intends to give hope to the youths who have aspirations to become some of the best footballers in years to come,” Mabika said.
Popular Mutare football administrator Benjamin Chindima, who is the academy’s vice chairman, said they would help the players explore both the local and international markets.
“We are also looking at participating at local and international youth tournaments around the globe so that we expose the young players to the world of football,” Chindima said.
MAJESA was started in February with just four players and the number has since risen to about 40 within a month of its operations.
