Banda have embarked on a junior development programme.
The duo has teamed up to form the Delma Soccer Academy based in Mbare, and it caters for players as young as six.
The academy has 70 players grouped into four age groups – six years, eight years, 10 years and 15 years.
The academy was launched in June this year and they hope to become part of the vibrant Harare Junior League next year when the new season begins.
The players train under the guidance of Zhanero and Banda.
Zhanero holds a Level Two coaching certificate and is the head coach at the academy.
The former Dynamos player said the idea is to provide something that will keep the children occupied and safeguard them from social vices such as drugs and other dangerous practices.
“We formed the academy in June and so far we have 70 kids. We are based in Mbare at ground number five.
“We want to remove the kids from the streets and prevent them from engaging in issues of drugs.
“We want to groom them and try to find scholarships for the young players.
“Some may end up playing for big clubs,” said Zhanero.
He said the response from the community has been overwhelming with many parents releasing their children to the academy.
“We started with less than 30 players when we launched the academy.
“However, the response has been good, parents are supportive and are releasing their children,” said Zhanero.
Zhanero said the academy is open to anyone interested in playing soccer.
Delma Academy assistant coach, Banda, said they have not yet started competing in junior tournaments as they’ve just started their ambitious project.
“We have been in football for sometime, we used to play soccer so we wanted to promote the sport and nurture the upcoming future players.
“We have been playing friendly matches against other teams. We haven’t begun competing in tournaments yet but we are hoping to do so in the near future.
“We looked for a sponsor and we got balls, bibs, cones and some money.
“We are hoping that next year we will be able to play in the junior league because for this year it’s late as we started in mid-year.
“We are just starting but we want to reach greater heights.
“Through the academy, we also hope to instill a sense of discipline in the kids,” said Banda.

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