School based sports academy formed

INSPIRE Sports Academy – an ambitious talent identification and development initiative based at Mutare’s Chancellor Junior School– has set the ball rolling in luring prospective future stars within and outside the school system and give them expert training and guidance for different disciplines.

Athletes of different age groups area undergoing training in basketball, athletics, football, handball, swimming and cricket under the initiative which gives budding athletes more training sessions than just the usual school system.

Spokesperson for the Inspire Sports Academy, Teererai Matibini said they want to augment the sports industry’s talent identification and development systems.

“This idea came as a result of the realisation that for local sports to grow, we need to identify talent and nurture it.

“In the quest to have a vibrant sports development culture, Chancellor Junior School has set up academies in basketball, athletics, football, handball, swimming and cricket.

“This long term athlete development programme seeks to feed athletes into the national teams in a few years to come.

“We want to complement Government’s efforts through this long term programme. We Identify athletes from as young as seven years of age and work with them,’ said Matibini.

He added that they have engaged experience and professional trainers who are taking time to impart skills to the youngsters.

“We have dedicated, experienced and qualified coaches.

“Some of the coaches are current national team coaches. We also have former national team players helping out kids at Inspire Athletic Academy.

“Inspire Athletic Academy is a Science based multi-sport discipline academy. We use Science based approach where we research and study.

“We have created a data base of athletes we are training. We have athletes in primary and secondary schools as well as tertiary institutions. School leavers are also catered for,” he said.

Matibini said fighting drug abuse is also part of their aims.

“One of our drive is to keep youngsters away from drugs.

“As you are well aware that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop, we have also learnt that there are very little sporting activities being done in schools, hence the need to have more sports activities through academies,” he said.

Only recently, Inspire Sports Academy hosted an invitational tournament where local academies partook in different sporting activities.

Chikanga Basketball Academy, Florida Basketball and Dangamvura Knights Academy are some of the academies that took part.

Mutare-based Basketball Union of Zimbabwe vice-president, Tonderai Shasha and Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture provincial officer, Clifford Mujoko graced the invent.

In separate interviews, both Shasha and Mujoko concurred that if the academy continues with its talent identification and development initiative, Manicaland will be a powerhouse in the long run.*