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Wilson Mutekede

Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
ZIFA technical director Wilson Mutekede says the association will introduce an Under-15 national tournament as part of its efforts to have a vibrant junior policy in the country.

The tournament, for both boys and girls, will be contested from zonal, district up to provincial level.

Mutekede said the youth development tournament is the first of its kind in the country by the domestic football governing body.

“We are looking at beginning an Under-15 tournament that is going to be organised, administered and sponsored by Zifa. The competitions are going to be at provincial level; provinces will have a selection criterion that they will employ to identify the correct age groups. It is up to each province to come up with the best selection criteria,” said Mutekede.

He said they had targeted the Under-15 age group because players in that category can easily be developed.

“The Under-15 players are the golden generation in terms of training and development, so that is why we decided to start at that level. We are looking to even go lower than that to ensure that our grassroots are effective.

“We want to kick start a process where young players play regularly in their provinces. Some provinces have been doing well while some are struggling, so we want to have all our provinces at their level best,” said Mutekede.

The tournament is expected to begin with the recruitment of qualified coaches between January and February. Finals for the tournament are scheduled for August.

“We are giving the provinces ample time to assemble, identify their talents and come up with their best teams. So we have pencilled in the finals for August,” he said.

The programme is set to make use of existing infrastructure in the provinces, such as schools and club systems for venues and the selection process.

@innocentskizoe