…as youth academy incorporates girls’ team
Brian Maregere
Although their dream of playing in the fashionable Division One league was shattered due to lack of sponsorship, Masvingo Youth Academy (MYA) has pledged to continue uprooting budding footballers in the upcoming season and beyond.
The academy has of late been barren in terms of unearthing new talent, however there is a ray of hope as different stakeholders have committed to revive the project.
Former Dynamos captain George Magariro is one of the high-profile names offering their technical expertise to the academy.
In an interview with CommuTalk, MYA caretaker coach Luka Njanji said they are committed to revive the academy, which could be the Eastern Region’s flagship for football development.
“We wanted to play in the 2020 Eastern region D1 league but we failed to get enough sponsorship package.
“However, we still remain with our vision of nurturing young players and if any team comes knocking on our door needing a player for their developmental side, we will release him without any hustle because we want the best for Masvingo’s young players,” said Njanji.
Njanji also revealed that they are set to establish a girl team at the academy.
“One of our master plans is to introduce a formidable girl team once the lockdown is over. We noted that the girl child is not getting an equal chance to showcase their talent at an early age.
” So far we have two girls at the academy and one of them had an offer from another good academy in Mutare, unfortunately the parent didn’t consent to that,” added Njanji.
The academy mainly focuses on development of players in the Under 13, 17 and 20 age groups.
Currently, the academy houses over 40 young players with some of their Under 20 already under the Masvingo United radar.
It however remains to be seen if MYA will produce fine and expensive talent such as the likes of Hardlife Mavundi, Ovidy Karuru and Simbarashe Nhivi who were carved out of Masvingo.
