Raymond Jaravaza
LOW to zero participation of women in coaching courses has worried Zifa, who are pushing for a fifty-fifty representation of both women and men in the game.
B-Metro Sport travelled to Gweru last Saturday and witnessed first-hand a Zifa Level One course conducted at Chaplin High School that had no woman in attendance.
Eighteen men, including current and former players, attended the week-long course.
A similar course in Bulawayo attracted just five women, a week earlier.
Zifa board member for development and training said the trend must change.
“We can’t continue to have situations where women are not represented in such beginners’ courses that are important in the development of budding coaches.
“The low to zero turnout by women in the last three courses in Harare, Bulawayo and now Gweru is cause for concern and as Zifa we will be going back to the drawing board to rectify the problem,” said Mhlophe.
There have been suggestions for the national football body to subsidise the course fees for women.
The Zifa Level One course will be conducted in all the country’s 10 provinces.
Former Mighty Warriors coach Benedict Moyo was the course instructor.
Moyo appealed to Zifa, led by acting president Gift Banda, to compile a database that shows the exact number of coaches who have attended Zifa Level One coaches up to Caf A badges.
“The database will give us an idea of how many qualified coaches we have in the country so that we plan accordingly when conducting coaching courses from the grassroots level up to Caf A certificates.
“Every coach, from primary schools right up to the national teams, must be qualified so that the country produces players that can play in any league in the world,” said Moyo.
