The Herald
By Petros Kausiyo
22 January 2010
LEGENDARY former Zimbabwe captain Peter Ndlovu is set to revive his romance with youth football when he plays a key part in the launch of the inaugural Volks-wagen Junior Masters tournament in Harare today.
Ndlovu — the most decorated Warriors captain with 100 caps for the senior national team and two African Cup Nations Cup appearances — flew into the capital yesterday ahead of the unveiling of Zimbabwe’s VW tournament for Under-13 boys.
The former Coventry City, Sheffield United and Mamelodi Sundowns striker has been nominated by German motor company, Volkswagen, as one of their football brand ambassadors in Zimbabwe together with his former Warriors teammate Edzai Kasinauyo.
Kasinauyo has also been appointed the project manager for the event.
Interestingly, both Kasinauyo and Ndlovu have previously sponsored junior tournaments in their individual capacities in Mufakose and Bulawayo.
Ndlovu had seemingly disappeared from the domestic football radar since retiring from the international game, but today he will help kick-start an ambitious programme that aims at unearth the next generation of Warriors stars.
Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart is expected to lead a cast of high-profile dignitaries who include VW representatives, members of the German embassy, the Sport and Recreation Commission and the soccer mother body, Zifa.
The Volkswagen Junior Masters is an international youth tournament supported by Volkswagen AG, for boys under the age of 13. The first Volkswagen Junior Masters took place in Germany in 1999 and has since grown from strength to strength with 333 teams supported by 245 Dealers competing for the German title in 2008.
The European Volkswagen Junior Masters is now the largest youth football competition in the world with 730 teams and more than 9 500 players participating in the 2008 competition.
Zimbabwe’s edition of the tournament will involve eight teams from Harare with the winning team qualifying for the Volkswagen Junior World Masters 2010 in Madrid, Spain.
According to the tournament organisers, all participating teams are to receive Volkswagen branded kits and clothing to celebrate their qualification for the tournament.
The Zimbabwean Volkswagen Junior Masters tournament is held in conjunction with charity organisation “terre des hommes” which is supported by the worldwide Volkswagen Workers Council.
Terrre des hommes country co-ordinator, Fungai Dewere, has this week been working with Kasinauyo and Zifa chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya in preparing for the tournament.
Soon after his arrival, Ndlovu, joined the trio and VW’s Ryan Paterson and Claudia Berker of terre des hommes Germany in holding a series of meetings with the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture officials, German embassy officials as well as a tour of the venue of the competition — Rufaro Stadium yesterday.
Terre des hommes Germany was founded in 1967 and currently funds about 450 projects for disadvantaged children in 29 project countries.
The focal themes of its work are protecting children from violence and exploitation, awareness programmes on HIV and Aids, creating opportunities for education and training and preserving cultural and biological diversity.
For more than 25 years terre des hommes, through its local partner organisations, has been supporting projects for disadvantaged children in different regions of Zimbabwe.
The selection and preparatory process of the Under 13 boys’ team from Harare who will attend the Volkswagen World Junior Masters in Madrid, Spain, is to be co-ordinated by local community development organisation “Community Arts Project (CAP)” in co-operation with terre des hommes’ country office for Zimbabwe.
Kasinauyo has also been working hard to manage and market talented local players through his South African-based company Tamba Sport International.
The former Ajax Cape Town and Moroka Swallows midfielder revealed his excitement at the prospects of the staging of the tournament in Zimbabwe.
“This is a fantastic tournament that gives our children an opportunity to play the sport they love at the highest level against teams from all over the world.
“Without Volkswagen AG this dream wouldn’t have become a reality, and we would like to thank them for giving our Zimbabwe children an opportunity that was not available when we were growing up.
“Both Peter and I are honoured to be involved in this exciting project and we look forward to working with the young boys and give our Zimbabwean team the best possible chance for the World Finals in Madrid,” Kasinauyo said.
Rushwaya also revealed Zifa’s excitement at having a tournament that seeks to identify and capture talent at the tender age of 13.
The Zifa chief executive noted that much of the attention has in the past been focused on the national Under-17, Under-20, Under-23 and senior national teams.
Rushwaya also lauded Volkswagen’s decision to choose Ndlovu and Kasinauyo as brand ambassadors and said they were exemplary players before their retirement and both came from junior development systems at CAPS United and Highlanders respectively.
“It is actually a milestone in football development in this country to have a company of international repute like Volkswagen to come on board and cater for this particular age group.
“Football development has been one of our major concerns in the country and it has been rare to see Under-13 boys being catered for.
“It (the Junior Masters Tournament) has come at a right time when we are trying to secure sponsorship for development. The coming in of Peter and Edzai as brand ambassadors will also serve as an inspiration to the young children.
“Peter was the longest-serving African player in England having spent 13 years there . . . he actually went there when he was very young. He has gone through the mill having come through the junior development ranks unlike some players we see who just emerge at clubs without having come through proper development.
“This tournament will also help us curb age-cheating in junior football and the fact that the winners will get a life-time opportunity to play in Madrid and get a chance to watch Real Madrid live in action should excite the boys and inspire them to do their best,’’ Rushwaya said.