Former Warriors, Highlanders, and CAPS United midfielder Joel “Josta” Ngodzo is making a significant impact on grassroots football, inspiring school children ahead of the Mr. Sinkwa Junior League Soccer Tournament.
The tournament is set to kick off on July 26 at Gifford High School in Bulawayo.
Ngodzo, who announced his retirement from professional football early last year, briefly attempted a comeback with Zifa Central Region Division One side Gwanda Pirates four months ago.
However, his focus has now shifted to nurturing young talent.
He has partnered with coach Nkululeko “MaRoe” Dube, under the sponsorship of Mr. Sinkwa Industry: Bakery and Food Production, to coach both boys and girls from 12 Bulawayo schools.
The initiative quickly sparked enthusiasm, leading to the creation of “The Mr. Sinkwa Junior League Soccer Tournament.”
Preliminary matches have already been held across three clusters to determine the finalists.
The Pumula cluster included Godlwayo, Dumezweni, Ngwegwe, and Babambeni primary schools.
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The Mzilikazi cluster featured Mzilikazi Primary, Lozikeyi, Lotshe, and Lobengula. The third cluster comprised McKeurtan, Induba, Emakhandeni, and St. Patricks.
"The two coaches conducted training sessions in various schools for both boys' and girls' teams," stated Mr. Sinkwa in a press release.
"Witnessing the excitement generated by these sessions, the Mr. Sinkwa team decided to host a tournament featuring these schools. This aims to further encourage and ignite passion in the young players.
“The Mr. Sinkwa Junior League Soccer Tournament began with preliminaries in the three clusters to select the top teams for the final showdown."
Preliminary matches took place on July 8, with boys competing at Godlwayo and girls at Babambeni in Pumula.
Other preliminaries for both categories were held at Sotshangane Grounds and Mzilikazi. On July 10, the final qualifiers saw Godlwayo, Ngwegwe, and Lotshe boys' teams advance to the finals from McKeurtan and Emakhandeni.
For the girls, Ngodzo and Dube decided to form select teams from Emakhandeni, Pumula, and Mzilikazi to compete in the finals, alongside a "Coaches' Select" team.
Mr. Sinkwa's marketing coordinator Liticia Amanda Trindade emphasised the company's dedication to sports development at the grassroots level.
"At Mr. Sinkwa, our passion is to play a significant role in grassroots sports. Over the years, we've provided kits, equipment, and T-shirts," Trindade explained.
"We've realised that proper training for youngsters is key to fully developing their talent. That's why we've seconded former athletes to coach at primary schools, empowering developing talent."
At the Gifford High School finals, the winning teams will receive a floating trophy and gold medals, while the runners-up will get silver medals. Individual accolades will also be presented for best goalkeeper, best defender, best midfielder, best striker, and player of the match.
To ensure maximum support and motivation, Mr. Sinkwa will provide lunch for all coaches and players and cover all transport costs for players and their parents attending the tournament.
Ngodzo expressed his enthusiasm for the program, which has been running for a month. "MaRoe (Dube) and I have been teaching these kids that football is about discipline, a path we also walked," Ngodzo said. "We want them to play football, and I'm genuinely excited about this tournament. We've seen significant improvement in both the boys and girls."
He added, "Mr. Sinkwa gave us this incredible opportunity. We've been going around training the kids at these schools for free – it's Mr. Sinkwa's way of giving back to the community. I'm happy the kids are good listeners because we also teach them discipline, the importance of staying away from drugs, and respecting their parents. We're not just teaching them football."
Further enhancing the programme, Alan Johnson, regional technical director of Ten Toes Africa, an international NGO providing mentorship through education and sport, will be present at the finals.
Johnson will engage with the young finalists, sharing insights into life as a footballer and the potential opportunities that lie ahead.
