SLIZ course begins
THE joint Sports Leaders Institute of Zimbabwe and West Virginia University-run International Sports Management Level One course started earnestly in Harare yesterday with over 100 participants in attendance.
The two highly-rated institutions signed a MOU last year, part of whose agreements including the joint hosting of administration and management training which are sure to have a positive impact on Zimbabwean sport development.
The course is being conducted by West Virginia’s respected sport lecturer, professor Floyd Jones along with his colleagues while SLIZ president Russel Mhiribidi and some continental sport experts will also deliver lectures.
Amongst the participants are Premiership club leaders including Harare City’s marketing manager Osborne Maranda amongst others. The other Premiership clubs such as FC Platinum, CAPS United and Ngezi Platinum had their management attending the Level One course last year and are expected to be among those taking part in the Level Two of this Continuous Education Certificate program, which starts today.
Jones, who was in the country on a similar mission last year, expressed satisfaction over the manner in which Zimbabweans have embraced the initiative and said the encouraging attitude will result in the change in which administrators, players as well as supporters see sport.
Zimbabwe is one of the few countries which has not been really able to tap onto the vast raw talent at its disposal due to lack of proper developmental structures as well as the attitude of seeing sport as a past time.
Jones said this country could become one of the best in terms of producing quality athletes who are capable of winning medals at the highest level.
He pointed that the difference between success and failure in sport is administrative hence the need for administrators to grasp the fundamentals of institutional, system and individual management.
“I am glad to announce that the course which we are running is as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Sport Leaders Institute of Zimbabwe and West Virginia University.
“The aim is to help working together in a partnership for the sake of sport development. We are mostly concerned in building capacity for sport leaders in Zimbabwe like clubs, physical education teachers.