Named after him, the Biya and Friends Academy caters for Under-12, under-14 and under-16 boys and runs under the administration of coaches Stanley “Sinyo†Mpofu, Maxwell Mbambo and Manager George Sibanda.
“We have just set-up a soccer academy in Luveve and called it the Biya and Friends Academy,†Ncube, also a championship-winning former Highlanders captain, told The Zimbabwean in an interview recently.
“We realised merely complaining without doing anything would not take the nation anywhere and decided to empower young people. Investing in these boys means that we are laying a firm foundation for the future of Zimbabwe’s soccer.
“The academy came as a collective effort between me and the other co-founders to promote the community that took us to where we are today. Tawanda Chitapa and Zi Gumbo – the other co-founders, are also based in America, but we grew up together in Luveve and Gwabalanda, hence our decision to set-up this project there.â€
Ncube said the two-pronged approach of the academy would also see them empower the youngsters academically. “Our main goal is to give these young players a chance in life, be it in professional football or soccer scholarships, where they can also improve themselves academically. I value education a lot and will do everything to be an ambassador to motivate young people to take their studies seriously for a better tomorrow.â€
The academy’s team played their first competitive matches a few weeks ago. Coach Mpofu was full of praise for Ncube, Chitapa and Gumbo, who he said were helping empower the youth in the community.
“I am grateful that we still have people who value and think of where they came from. This project means a lot for the communities around here. This is what we need for a better tomorrow. We are having a huge turn-out of interested youngsters from a number of suburbs around and I am pleased to see community members come out in full support of this initiative. The boys are also committed and that eases the pressure on us,†said Mpofu.
Post published in: Football