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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
IN  another move set to open opportunities for young aspiring football players on the local scene, BN Academy recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with TS Galaxy from South Africa where they will be sending talented players for further development.

The MoU was signed last Wednesday in Sandton and it’s a three-year partnership between the two parties.

BN Academy director, Bhekimpilo Nyoni, said the MoU will see them identifying talented players and send them to TS Galaxy for development with the hope that they can be scouted by professional league teams in that country.

“TS Galaxy is owned by Tim Sukazi. He is a top player in South Africa and also a top soccer agent in that country.

“TS Galaxy play in the Motsepe league, which is like Division Two in South Africa, and they are currently looking for a franchise to buy a Division One team. So what happened is he (Sukazi) specialises in identifying young players who are talented. At BN Academy we are also going to identify young players and instead of letting them go to South Africa directly, they have to go through TS Galaxy. The main task is to try and create as many opportunities for local talented players.

“What will happen is if they make the grade and do well there are high opportunities for them to be identified by teams from the South African ABSA Premiership, that’s the main idea, that’s when they turn professional,” said Nyoni.

Trials will be held every Saturday to try and identify the first two players expected to leave for South Africa next month.

“After having signed the MoU, this whole month we will be trying to identify underprivileged boys who are very good and then send them to South Africa. We are looking at boys between the age of 17 and 20.

“So this is an opportunity and every Saturday we expect boys to come for trials so that we identify those we feel we can help. By June, I should be sending two players because to find quality players is not something you can do overnight.

“We will be sending two other players in December, the one going in December is writing his O-Level exams (this year) so we did not want to interrupt his school work, then we identify the other one because he is already in the academy’s system,” said Nyoni.

BN Academy is growing in stature and is already in another partnership with internationally acclaimed academy, Football CV, in the United Kingdom.

They will be sending two players – Munashe Chakuchichi of Lomagundi College and Guinea Fowl High School’s Elson Mweha – for a two-week training camp with the academy in August.

The two were selected by the UK-based academy’s coach Grant Brown, who was in the country last month for a week-long training clinic at BN Academy.