The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
MATABELELAND North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Cain Mathema has entered into a partnership with former footballer, Colleen Nyambiya’s Young Flying Stars Sports Academy situated at Raylton Sports Club in Bulawayo with a dream to turn the place into a world class facility.
Last Thursday, Minister Mathema toured the academy where Nyambiya outlined to him what he wants to do in order to spruce up the place. Nyambiya was in the company of his advisor, football coach Bongani Mafu.
After the tour, Mathema announced that he was getting into a partnership because he believes that sport is a big industry capable of generating income.
He said he was impressed with what Nyambiya had put in place.
“Colleen has done a wonderful job here to start his company. Sports is actually money so I am very pleased that I am now partnering with Mafu and Colleen, we will do our best to make this one of the best sports grounds ever,’’ Mathema said.
He revealed plans to, in future, introduce sports such as cricket, rugby and tennis as they seek to make the facility a modern multi-sports centre. On whether they had given themselves a target to spruce up the place, Mathema pointed out that they had agreed as partners to do the best they can.
“We will do the best we can, we have agreed as partners that we will do the best we can working with the National Railways of Zimbabwe to renovate this place completely, it was a bowling centre for NRZ employees, we want to at least return to that era where it was a centre for best sports practices,’’ he said.
Nyambiya said the whole idea was to have a state-of-the-art sports centre where children will develop their sports. He is convinced that with the partnership they have entered into with Mathema, they will get to achieve their goals.
Young Flying Stars Academy, established in 2012 with the launch attended by former Zimbabwe captain Peter Ndlovu recently got a slot in the Zifa Bulawayo Under-20 League where they have replaced a team that pulled out. Nyambiya said they decided to field their Under-17s side in the league because they believe the youngsters can learn a lot by playing against older players.
Nyambiya’s dream is to be able to get to levels such as that of the Manchester United Academy and produce world class players.
With an enrolment of 65 boys, the academy had two of its players heading part of the Zimbabwe Under-17 team at the Cosafa tournament in Mauritius, these being Shaun Matika of Christian Brothers College and Nabil Ismail of Falcon College. How Mine striker Adolf Muganyi is another who came through the Young Flying Stars Academy structures.
Nyambiya, his former teammate Master Masiku and Arnold Nhidza are the coaches at the academy. —@Mdawini_29
