Sporting infrastructure cornerstone of success
OVER the last few weeks, we have seen different images of sports fields, each with major significance for communities in which they are located.
One is the Heart Stadium being built by Walter Magaya in Waterfalls and the other is Maglas Stadium in Mashava.
Differences in tales about the stadiums tell their own story of opportunity and possibilities, as well as history.
Maglas was a fortress for Shabanie Mine Football Club.
Then bankrolled by the asbestos mine, the club became a major force in the country.
It introduced talented players such as Asani Juma, Thomas Makwasha (late), Max Ruza and Francis Chandida to the nation. Their stadium was the envy of many. However, the pictures currently circulating show a dusty patch that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the original stadium.
Alois Bunjira was particularly scathing in his comment on the current state of the facility.
As a former player, his pain is easy to understand.
On the other hand, Yadah FC owner Magaya is building a purpose-made stadium, which he intends to equip with all the relevant technology and infrastructure to make it a competitive venue.
Magaya’s venture shows he is following a clearly though-out vision.
He has set his sights on building a sporting legacy, and he is investing in it.
Zimbabwe prides itself in passion. And we sometimes oversell this passion.
But good intentions can only do so much. At some point, they have to give way to expert training.
Even expert training can only achieve so much. It has to be backed up by proper facilities. The nation needs a strong sports infrastructure development masterplan.
We often call football our national sport but we have precious little to show for this.
Currently, we do not have a stadium approved for international matches. That is not how we treat a national sport. It is not only in football. National hockey fixtures are played at a local high school.
We do not have an athletics facility that allows us to host top-tier events.
I believe all these factors can be remedied once we have a very clear plan.
Here is a suggestion.
The mention of Maglas was deliberate. There are many mines around the country that used to have Premier League-standard football fields and athletics tracks and fields, which could host the Chamber of Mines games, as well as routes for activities such as cross country and cycling.
Most mines such as Mhangura, Kamativi, Trojan and Redwing had such facilities.
Some of these facilities are usable and can be rehabilitated.
How about the Government — through the Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture — identifying one of these facilities and making the necessary steps to address issues of tenure and then restructure it into a sporting centre of excellence.
This facility could function like an academy for sporting excellence across the entire spectrum.
There is precedence.
France has its Clairefontaine football academy, where future national team players are trained.
India has recently launched a National Centre of Excellence.
India is not known for football, but having identified a need to grow the sport and making a judgement call, based on population size alone, they should be able to discover and train players into strong national teams.
According to the All-India Football Federation
website, here is their plan: “The All India Football Federation, the national body to develop the game of football in the country, has undertaken a step to further strengthen and develop the beautiful game in the world’s largest democracy by establishing India’s first-ever National Centre of Excellence. The National Centre of Excellence, a state-of-theart facility, shall be the home of AIFF national teams across age groups for men and women. This football gurukul (learning centre) has been planned to boost the existing, incremental and progressive development of the Indian Football Ecosystem. Designed to bring in all critical branches of football development under one umbrella, it is aimed to nurture the existing and upcoming talent pool.”
They are funding it with the assistance from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The first phase of construction — which includes the technical centre, two training fields that have a natural turf and an artificial one with floodlights — is underway.
They have put in a technical centre — two storeys, six dressing rooms, classrooms for capacity building, artificial field with flood lights and natural field with food lights.
In Zimbabwe’s case, the wheel does not need to be reinvented.
ZIFA already have the basis of a centre funded by FIFA through the Goal Project, with accommodation and fields.
It may just need to be refurbished and repurposed slightly, then targets set and work done to develop future champions.
The mining spaces could cater for athletics and other disciplines.
We should give it some thought. Magaya has shown it can be done. Simba Bhora have proved it is possible. St John’s College, with their hockey facility, have proved that it can be delivered.
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