THE Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) has announced a comprehensive plan to reform and develop the country’s football landscape, led by the newly-appointed head of technical, Dominique Niyonzima.
This initiative comes as Zifa seeks to address historical challenges and build a sustainable future for the sport.
In a Press statement yesterday Zifa stated that technical development has been identified as a central pillar for the future of Zimbabwean football.
“The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) has reaffirmed its commitment to building a stronger foundation for the growth of football in the country, unveiling key priorities under the leadership of its head of technical, Dominique Niyonzima,” they said.
“Technical development has been identified as a central pillar for the future of Zimbabwean football. The role of the technical director is to define and lead the national technical development programme, focusing on increasing player participation, enhancing youth and women’s football, strengthening coach education, and establishing a long-term player development strategy,” added the country’s football body.
Zifa openly acknowledged historical challenges, including the absence of a formal long-term development plan, limited resources and a lack of structured systems for youth leagues, scouting, coach education and sports science.
However, the association highlighted that significant progress has already been made, including the reintroduction of Caf coaching courses after seven years, the submission of a Technical Long-Term Development Plan, the adoption of women’s football strategies and the launch of youth competitions across all provinces from January.
“Mr Niyonzima’s agenda will also see the establishment of regional and provincial technical directors, refresher programmes for coaches and instructors, and the creation of an online talent identification platform to ensure that every young player across Zimbabwe has a chance to be recognised,” Zifa said.
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“Zifa will also roll out a national football philosophy to align youth and senior football, as well as expand partnerships with schools, academies and stakeholders.”
Speaking at the unveiling, Zifa emphasised that technical development is a long-term process requiring vision, stability, and perseverance.
With the support of Fifa, Caf, government, clubs, and the football community, Zifa aims to build inclusive pathways that will transform grassroots football, nurture elite talent and restore Zimbabwe’s competitiveness on the international stage.
