FC Porto Dragon Force Academy director Colbert Chimedza says his new project, which has strong links with Portugal football giants FC Porto, will provide a direct pathway for budding footballers into Europe and other international markets.
The businessman who owns a clothing retail company, 4May International, started his Borrowdale-based academy in October last year with the aim to help underprivileged kids to realise their football dream.
At least 150 kids from Harare and other surrounding areas have to date enrolled at the academy that trains children, both boys and girls under the age of 20.
Chimedza has partnered FC Porto in which the academy will regularly send players to the European club for trials.
Early this year, FC Porto sent two of their development coaches to Harare to help set up the project and give guidelines on how Dragon Force Academy should operate in line with the club's systems.
Chimedza yesterday told NewsDay Sport that apart from his aim of helping underprivileged kids, the academy will create an avenue for talented kids to realise their dreams of playing football in Europe and other big leagues in the world.
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“This project is not only about trying to take the kids off the bad societal things like drug and substance abuse, but it's also about nurturing talent. We want to identify and develop talent that we can export directly to Europe. We have a partnership with FC Porto that allows us to send players to Portugal after every four months for trials. That is the good part about this project. It is a direct pathway for talented players to go and play football in Europe and other lucrative markets.”
Chimedza who has been making regular trips to Portugal to tie the loose ends of the agreement and has had opportunities to watch FC Porto matches live, is happy with the progress the parties have made in the partnership so far.
“With this partnership, we will be invited by Porto to participate in some of their junior tournaments. They have similar setups and partnerships in Colombia, Brazil and Canada so whenever they have a junior tournament, we are all invited to participate. They then use that platform to identify players that they trial within their developmental setup. Those who impress will be absorbed into the Porto system while some would be sent out to their other partners and other clubs that they work with in Portugal and Europe."
He said Dragon Force Academy's training schedules are tailor-made to suit FC Porto's playing philosophy.
“Their coaches who were here told us that they have developed a lot of players that have gone on to make it in major leagues across Europe. A lot of players from South America use Portugal as the stepping stone to get into Europe and that is what we are also aiming to do.
“We have a lot of talent here and the Porto coaches admitted to that. The challenge that we have is that our kids are not given enough time to train when compared to their European counterparts. The coaches said a kid needs at least 10 000 hours yearly training under a professional setup. Our kids are not getting that sort of time.”
Chimedza, who is involved in many philanthropic work, including dressing the senior national football team, last week invited former Warriors captain Peter Ndlovu to interact and inspire the budding footballers at this academy.
The legendary footballer gave a touching story of how he rose from humble beginnings to becoming the first African player to play in the modern English Premier Soccer League in 1992, at the tender age of 17.