Pamushana High School launches soccer academy

Sport
Pamushana High School has scored yet another first by launching the first ever soccer academy in Masvingo province.

Pamushana High School has scored yet another first by launching the first ever soccer academy in Masvingo province.

By Nyambira Chivasa

The school is known for its academic excellence as well as for excelling in sporting activities.

The establishment of the soccer academy came as a result of continued calls by former students — some of whom have become renowned footballers — who believed coming up with an academy was the only way to tap and nurture raw talent that is in abundance in the province.

“Coming up with a football academy at the school is the way to go. Funds realised from the academy will be used to develop soccer at the school, in the province and the entire country,” said Gabriel Nyoni, Highlanders Football Club striker, a former Pamushana High School student.

Recently, Masvingo province Youth Games select football team won gold, beating Bulawayo province at the 12th edition of the national event held at Mucheke.

Team Masvingo was under the guidance of Bernard Matenga of Pamushana High School while former Warriors gunslinger Agent sawu guided the Bulawayo province to the finals as well.

In a statement, the school lamented that although they had moulded a number of players into premiership material and helped them secure football careers, the school had benefitted nothing in spite of investing so much in developing talent.

“A number of families have benefitted extremely as soon as their children moved to greener pastures as they got development fees whenever a player joined any club while the school gets nothing from those deals.

“The school continues to pump out a lot in this regard to other upcoming star players,” reads part of the release.

However, the school has moved a step further in fulfilling Pamushana High School headmaster Johnson Madhuku’s dream of building a modern multi-purpose sporting arena at the school. A begging bowl is already in circulation to raise funds for the project.

“It is our vision that any benefits, should they come our way, should assist the school in the development of talent for other youths. We also intend to build a stadium that meets modern and acceptable football standards. For all this to be possible, we need money,” the statement says.

The school envisages a situation whereby they would join Division One as a school and get promoted into the Premier League. The Reformed Church in Zimbabwe establishment also envisaged being twined with other schools, soccer academies and clubs abroad to further develop talent.

The academy is registered with Zifa. Its establishment came after realising that the school had churned out quite a number of soccer giants into the Zimbabwe Premier League, the likes of Artwell Mukandi, Hasmania Ziso, Takudzwa Mahori, Simba Sithole and Gabriel Nyoni, to name just a few.