By Rangarirai Shanyurai
Masvingo Christian Academy under 16 soccer team has been invited to participate in eighth edition of the Mai Hondo Memorial Tournament in Mutare on August 30 and 31, 2024.
The tournament features 16 teams for boys, 12 girls’ soccer teams and four girl’s netball teams from across the country.
Masvingo Christian Academy head of development George Charumbira said, the team had been training for long and is well prepared for the tournament.
“I am very excited for this opportunity and believe that our juniors will gain valuable exposure to higher level of competition and experience from playing away games.
“Playing away from home will provide the juniors with a unique opportunity to test their skills development against a new team in a different environment and showing their talents,” said Charumbira.
Mai Hondo Youth Sports Trust is a youth focused organization that leverages on the Universal appeal of sports and music to reach young boys and girls on issues relating to their broader social development.
The Trust hosts the annual Mai Hondo Sports Tournament which started in 2015. In its eighth edition now, the tournament has seen over five thousand young people directly participating in soccer and netball matches, with several thousand other youth and community members participating as spectators.
Mai Hondo Youth Sport spokesperson Trust Tapiwa Mbutsa said Mai Hondo sports tournament focusses on grassroots soccer development, positive youth development through sport and community awareness on various aspects of life.
“A major goal of these tournaments is to provide services and raise awareness among youth on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), Gender Based Violence (GBV), drug and substance abuse, mental health care, career guidance and civic participation among other social issues. It targets under 15 boys and girls as direct participants across soccer and netball disciplines.
“It targets communities through providingservices such as HIV testing, cervical cancer screening, circumcision, family planning services and condom distribution.
“The tournament gives youths an opportunity to compete and improve their soccer and netball skills. Having become a regular event on the Manicaland sports calendar, the community looks forward to the tournament.
It started as an event solely for Mutare teams but participants have over the years been drawn from across Zimbabwe,” said Mbutsa.
He lamented shortage of sporting equipment in teams across the country and said all teams were going to get prizes for participating.
“Sporting equipment is a major challenge for many youths teams across the country. The tournament has a flat prizes and awards structure that allows all participants to get at least a prize.
“In the past eight years, the tournament has distributed close to 100 sets complete soccer kits (minimum of 18 jerseys and shorts per set) and 350 soccer balls and training bibs. Prizes include school fees vouchers, educational materials, trophies, grocery hampers and training scholarship for coaches,” he said
Mutare based Sheckon Stars won the inaugural 2015 tournament, 2016 and 2018. In 2017, Ajax Academy from Harare lifted the trophy. La Sakubva FC from Mutare won the 2019 and 22 edition whilst another Mutare junior team City Vellos was crowned 2023 champions.
In girls netball, Mutare’s Nyamauru High School scooped the 2017 tittle and Faith Drive won the 2018, 2019, 2023 editions while Mutare City won the 2022 tournament.
