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NewsDay

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Building communities through sport

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SOCCER is the most prominent sport in Zimbabwe, eclipsing other disciplines like athletics, rugby, cricket, baseball and many more.

SOCCER is the most prominent sport in Zimbabwe, eclipsing other disciplines like athletics, rugby, cricket, baseball and many more.

Lizzy Kutyauripo Own Correspondent

As a result, the less popular sporting activities became known as “elite” sports as soccer is stealing the thunder in virtually every community and schools.

To a large extent, this scenario was a result of the set up established by the country’s colonial masters who did not promote such sports in black communities.

Recreational centres came in the form of football grounds and community halls and nothing more.

However, the trend appears to be fast changing as cobwebs of ignorance which were rooted in most Zimbabweans, particularly the black community are being eradicated, thanks to concerted efforts from various stakeholders.

Such efforts range from establishing hockey clubs in high density areas like Mbare, baseball in Highfield, and the corporate world which has chipped in to develop cricket players from such areas.

NewsDay sought to establish the extent to which former elitist sports are being introduced in high density areas and how the communities are embracing such sporting activities.

Johnson Sisters introduce Hockey to Mbare.

Ardbennie Primary School was mainly for the coloured community.

Iman (20) and Harmony Johnson (21) were some of the few fortunate people from Mbare to attend lessons at the school.

This is where they got exposed to hockey and fell in love with the sport.

“When we left Ardbennie Primary School, Harmony was one of the pioneers of Red Cators Hockey Club and by then I was just 11 years old the club did not last long owing to lack of finances and appreciation of the sport within their community,” Harmony said.

She later joined the Eradicators Hockey Club which did not last before it had been registered with the Hockey Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ).

She decided to form the club after she completed her studies and realising how other girls of her age were living reckless lives because they had nothing meaningful to do.

“Upon completing my studies I was unemployed and was saddened by the way other youths were abusing drugs and alcohol with girls falling pregnant at a tender age. This motivated me to revive the Red Cators as a way of helping fellow youths in my community,” Harmony said.

Its revival gave birth to the new name Harmony Rainbow Hockey Club.

It boasts of 60 players that has four teams comprising of two girls’ team, seniors 16-45 year old and the juniors 8-15 year old group and the same age groups for the boys.

“We train at the Stodart Netball Complex every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Our team is in the IC Hockey Foundation League games and we play against elite schools.

“We compete in both indoors tournaments that are conducted during night time at Sunrise Hockey Sports Field in Belvedere and the field league that are held at Arundel School.”

She noted obstacles they came across before the community started appreciating their sporting venture.

“At first it was hard to convince parents to let their children come and play with us even the schools we used to play against at first they never fully accepted us. We worked very hard to gain recognition.

“We still have our in-house problems, but we are glad to say that other teams now chip in when we fail to raise money for registration or transportation and at times accommodation when travelling for away games.

“With the stigma attached to Mbare we are not allowed to travel on our own unless we are in the company of an elder. So we always bring my mother along,” she said.

The indoors games are played at night in flood lights from January to June while the field tournaments are played in broad day light from July to September. They won the indoors Dharwizi Field Hockey this season.

The hockey team has competed in Divisions A and B pitting against nine teams bringing a total of ten games they have played for the field tournaments. Iman is part of the ZimSelect team and represented Zimbabwe in South Africa.

She recently completed her coaching course and is now a licensed coach with HAZ.

Last weekend she was awarded a trophy for the most promising player.

Baseball Gets big Nod in Highfield Zimbabwe Baseball Association vice-president Ibrahim Mase popularly referred to as Boss Mase has decided to embark on a sport development programme in Highfields by introducing baseball.

He formed his own baseball club Highfielders in 1994, but went under in 2007.

He later revived the club last year and currently he is training baseball at Highfield High 2 and it is open to all youths.

“I decided to revive Highfielders after a long break from sports in 2007. Currently the club has two senior teams as I had targeted the youths only and plans are underway to form the junior club as a way of developing the sport while they are still young,” said Mase.

Mase is wooing high school students and is now working together with other schools like Highfield High 1 and other primary schools in his areas as well as local teachers in coaching and training.

12-year-old Nyasha Madombwe is one of his products and plays at national level and is currently rated as having the most field play.

“When I first started baseball I had little knowledge about, but I am now considering taking baseball professionally,” Madombwe said.

Mase hopes to nurture talent among the youths so they become beacons within their societies. He also hopes to retell their success stories as he has done with his former products that are now living testimony of his good coaching and training skills.

Highfielders has produced great players such as Mudiwa Gamanya, Floyd Karidza who are now playing for South African clubs and Winmore Mubariri who is now chairman of the Harare province baseball also CIiff Musamba.

Tafadzwa Gova and Blessing Matore were part of the schools select team that represented the country in Japan in 1994.

Matore is now a professional baseball player in Austria and Dickson is playing for South African clubs.

Bakers Inn Baking Cricketers into the Community

Clive Chiposi, Takudzwa Rwanda, Tsungi Motsi, Tawanda Zimindo, Rodney Mufudza and Marshall Takaodza are former products of Chipembere Primary School in Highfield, who benefitted from the Zimbabwe Cricket development programme with the assistance of Baker’s Inn.

The six are cricket players who excelled and their future looks promising.

These young players were sometimes sent away from school for failure to pay school fees and this affected them as they would sometimes miss training.

Chipembere is not the only school that is facing such hardships and this was hindering on talent development and scouting for the Zimbabwe Cricket.

“After engaging Bakers Inn, they agreed to our plea, but noted that they wanted to start the project with a school they could identify with as they wanted to grasp talent at the grassroots level.

“Chipembere was lucky to be singled out as it was already home to prominent cricket players such as Tatenda Taibu and Elton Chigumbura among other cricketers who are products of the school,” said an official from Zimbabwe Cricket.

Bakers Inn offered to pay tuitions fees for them up to the high school level and also provided the school with a full training kit and balling machine.

Chipembere has since managed to break all barriers by prevailing over traditional cricketing schools such as Hartmann House and Hellenic just to mention a few. Over 50 children have benefitted from the programme with some having been offered scholarships in South Africa.

Bakers Inn brand manager Brighton Mazarura said he is proud to be associated with such success.

“Plans are under way to work on a national blueprint with the relevant stakeholders to identify areas needing our interventions”, Mazarura said.

Lack of funding hindering sport development

Despite the determination and persistence portrayed by these clubs the issue of funding is hindering progress.

Making players pay membership fees has proved a toll order as most parents cannot afford to pay owing to economic hardships.

Harmony Rainbow once failed to raise $15 for the indoors league and $25 for the field league.

Highfielders also face the same problem as they require their own training ground which best accommodates the sport. They also lack of protective clothing and training kits.

Other products living the success tale

Tatenda Taibu, Masakadza brothers Blessing and Carlos and Elton Chigumbura are some of the ghetto youths who defied all odds when they penetrated the once white man dominated Zimbabwe Cricket team hailing from the streets of Highfields.

They carried the nation’s flag high by representing the country at many international and regional tournaments.

They are also managing to earn a decent living from cricket.

The same can be noted for swimming sensation, Kirsty Coventry who started her swimming career at Highlands Primary School and later brought glory to Zimbabwe by bringing home several medals from the Olympics.

Another classic example is that of Martin Dzuwa who is the Davis Cup non-playing captain having realised his prowess while he was at Mufakose 2 High School in the capital.