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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter

ZIFA Bulawayo Province has sealed a three-year sponsorship deal with Machache Security Services who have pledged full support for juniors’ football in the city.

For the first year, the company has availed US$4000 for the junior leagues as well as those in second and third tier leagues who fall under Bulawayo Province.

Provincial board member John Mutero said the deal with Machache had come at the opportune time as they were on the path to resume their various league programmes possibly in March.

“Thank you very much for this gesture. Thank you for coming on board. We are short of partners like Machache Security who are willing to support local football.

“The last time our juniors played, they were playing for nothing. This will go a long way in motivating players and ensure that we get our next Peter Ndlovu. We are seeking more partners like this so that we can grow football in the country,” Mutero said.

Machache Security Services director of finance Davies Mazhinye said their move was inspired by the desire to inspire the next generation of footballers.

“The youth is our future; therefore, we believe that by empowering the youth through sports, especially football, we are inspiring them to earn a living through sports. This will go a long way to uplift the youth and the community at large.

“When you step on that field, you have 90 minutes. These minutes determine your future and they have the capacity to change your future if used wisely and if there’s also a sponsor,” Mazhinje.

Machache Security Services company prioritizes the safety of its clients and community at all times through provision of services such as static guards, armed guards, alarms, CCTV roving patrol guards under cover personal and security consultancy.

There has not been any action in junior football in the country in over two years. The move by Machache is most likely to be of big boost in the roadmap to restart junior football.

Bulawayo Province is known to have the most organised junior football leagues under the support of the Zifa Bulawayo Province Junior League where over 2,520 children between the ages of 12-18 years play football from March to December every weekend.

For a long time, Bulawayo has been the hub of junior football in Zimbabwe. It is in Bulawayo where legendary footballers like the Ndlovu brothers, Madinda, Peter and Adam, Bruce Grobbelaar, Benjani Mwaruwari, Benjamin Nkonjera, Agent Sawu, Henry Mckop and a host of other talented players played their junior football and went on to become successful in their football careers. -@innocentskizoe