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Collin Matiza Sports Editor

CHITSERE Primary School in Mbare will tomorrow be the venue of the latest instalment of the Jadel Football Academy’s trials for budding players under the age of 15.

The Jadel Football Academy is the brainchild of former Zimbabwe youth international, Walter “Ringers” Musanhu, who is based in Beijing, China.

Musanhu, brother of UK-based former Dynamos defender Chamu, runs a hugely successful junior nursery, Jadel Football Academy in China, which he launched in August last year.

And, towards the end of last year, he officially launched the local version of the academy.

He held a four-team Under-15 tournament at Belgravia Sports Club in Harare where Kadoma’s CUMA, BN Academy, Jadel and Inter-Harare battled it out for honours.

CUMA won the tourney, courtesy of a 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory over Jadel in the final.

Tomorrow will see the Jadel Football Academy holding their third trials for the Under-15s at Chitsere Primary School in Mbare.

The trials will be conducted by the co-ordinators of the project, Nick Munyonga, Salim Milanzi and Munyaradzi Diya, who will be joined by the academy’s coaches.

Speaking to The Herald from his base in Beijing yesterday, Walter said he wanted to select talented players who will become members of Jadel. “We are targeting an exchange programme with our branch in Harare with the aim of bringing some kids to participate in the China Gothia Cup 2020 in the city of Qingdao in August which might see us inviting about four to five kids from Zimbabwe to join the Jadel Football Academy in Beijing.

“But, for now, we’re building on the Under-15 Elite group this whole month.

“We’re sticking to our initial plan of coming up with an Under-15 Elite team and we hope to unearth more talented players for this age-group at our latest trials that will be held at Chitsere Primary School in Mbare this Saturday.

“People might ask why choose Chitsere in Mbare? Remember, Chitsere is the school which produced a number of football players who went on to become household names in Zimbabwe.

“They include the likes of the legendary goalkeeper Japhet M’parutsa, former CAPS United midfield dynamo Anthony Kambani and ex-Chapungu United defender Munyari Amon Chikwenga, to name but just a few.

“Chitsere is part of our rich football history in Zimbabwe and that is why we have decided to have our latest trials at that school and from there we are hoping to take them to Highfield, Mufakose, Mabvuku, Glen Norah and, of course, Chitungwiza.

“We will be moving to all these places trying to identify the most talented Under-15 players for our project,” Walter said.