The Sunday News
Sports Correspondent
CHURCHES in the Vungu Constituency in Lower Gwelo are set to start their own league following a donation of soccer balls by Zifa last week.
Zifa vice-president, Omega Sibanda last week donated balls to Seventh Day Adventist churches that had been holding church camps. Sibanda said they wanted to see more churches getting the opportunity to play football.
“Our aim is to spread football and churches are already organised groups that would easily come up with teams. All they need is support and creation of organised leagues. Football is usually played on Saturday and Sunday but we are saying churches can choose any other day that doesn’t infringe on their worship and play on that day in their leagues. The leagues can be both developmental and social; what is important for us as Zifa is to ensure that we keep that interest in the game. The more people play football in various guises the better,” he said.
Sibanda said the SDA churches he visited between Thursday and Sunday last week include Gwenjani, Thovo, Shogwala, Jonkola and Sikombingo. He said the formation of the league in Vungu is already underway and it will be made up of various denominations and not just SDAs.
Sibanda said the leagues would not be restricted to one church but would be spread to all churches throughout the country.
“It is the job of the Zifa technical and development committee to ensure the game is played throughout the country. We will be donating balls to other churches countrywide to kick start this programme. We are also going to roll out a coach development programme both at grassroots and elementary level so that we have knowledgeable people teaching the game,” he said.
Under president Philip Chiyangwa, Zifa has managed to spread coaching courses countrywide to areas that would have never dreamed of hosting such courses.
