Fit Them Young Soccer trials expected to attract full house

Fungai Muderere

ASPIRING football stars aged 16 and below will on Saturday converge on Ascot Racecourse grounds opposite Milton High School grounds for the inaugural Fit Them Young tryouts that are expected to attract a full house.

The organiser of the trials Nobert Moyo said the young budding professional footballers would be taken through their paces by legendary former Highlanders player Tito Paketh, ex Bosso, Njube Sundowns and Dynamos defender Danisa Phiri, Nkosana Nyoni and Edgar Dube among other coaches who have offered their services for free.

“It’s all about trying to identify and nurture talent. It’s an initiative that seeks to give these youngsters a chance to showcase what they are made of in the process helping them to carve their football skills,” said Moyo.

He said that in an era of technological advancements it was also prudent to foster a culture of physical exercise among the young many of whom no longer value physical workouts.

Mkhokheli Dube

“We are not saying technology is bad. However, there is always a need to balance the two. Physical exercise is always key. We must also factor in the fact that we have lost a number of youths to drugs. At the age of 16 that’s where a number of them start to engage in drugs and substance abuse. We hope through this programme and the other ones that we are going to have we will assist the nation to fight drug and substance abuse,” said Moyo.

He added that the boys’ tryouts would be free of charge.
“This will be a free engagement and we are certainly going to have the girls’ trials soon. Parents are allowed to accompany their children. The participants are expected to bring sports gear that include shorts, soccer jerseys, boots, or tackies. Us as the organisers, we have already sourced bibs,” said Moyo.

The Fit Them Young Tryouts come at a time when ex Highlanders striker Mkhokheli Dube, who had playing stints in United States of America and in South Africa, recently ventured into a young players grooming exercise at Zebra Revolution Football Club that is based at Sizinda Youth Centre.

They have juniors which include the Under-11s, Under-13s, Under-15s and Under-17s.
Footballers who graduate from their Under-17s go into their Division Two team which presently is on position seven in the Zifa Bulawayo Provincial league with 11 points from seven matches. They are four points behind leaders Chicken Inn.

Dube, who is known as “Mshoza” by his Zimbabwean peers and christened “Kheli” in the USA where he featured for American Major League Soccer (MLS) side New England Revolution between 2008 and 2011 takes pride in the work done by his Zebra Revolution.

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