BANCABC has committed US$200 000 to a nationwide grassroots football programme, citing the stability and strong leadership at Zifa under president Nqobile Magwizi as the driving force behind its investment in developing young talent across Zimbabwe.
The investment underscores growing private-sector confidence in Zimbabwean football governance, with corporate sponsors increasingly linking financial support to administrative stability, transparency, and long-term development planning rather than short-term visibility.
The BancABC Grassroots Impact Junior League, unveiled last week, will feature Under-14 and Under-16 teams for both boys and girls, competing across all 10 provinces.
Zifa opted for these age groups instead of the internationally recognised Under-15 and Under-17 categories to build a sustainable pipeline into official age brackets.
Speaking at the launch, BancABC chief executive officer Tawanda Munaiwa said Magwizi’s leadership made the sponsorship decision straightforward.
“The new person for this position — it was a very easy decision for me to make because of the order that we've seen coming through from Zimbabwe football,” Munaiwa said.
He added that the private sector prefers to associate with well-organised and stable institutions, adding that the Magwizi administration had ticked all the boxes.
“Not much noise going on. Not much politics is going on within the Zimbabwe football structures. And that is what the private sector always wants to see when they are looking for things to sponsor,” Munaiwa said.
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He stressed that grassroots investment is critical to long-term football success and community development.
“We do not create stars. It's a national thing. Stars are created in a grassroots way,” the banker said.
Magwizi echoed the importance of structured development pathways, saying grassroots football forms the foundation of elite performance.
“Grassroots is a pathway. So the pathway starts somewhere in grassroots, then we go to junior development, and then we go to the elite level,” he said.
The BancABC Grassroots Impact Junior League aims to nurture young talent while strengthening Zimbabwe’s football base.
Magwizi said the programme positions the country to compete consistently in major tournaments and emerge as a regional force.
“This programme allows us to follow through talent from when they are in grassroots, when they move into the juniors, and when they are eventually selected for elite teams,” he said.
Under the programme’s structure, each province will field four teams — two Under-14 girls’ teams and two Under-16 boys’ teams — bringing the total to 40 teams nationwide. Each team will play 18 matches annually, resulting in 720 matches per year.
Magwizi described BancABC’s investment as a strong endorsement of the association’s leadership and vision.
“Your decision to invest in grassroots football is not just corporate support. It is leadership. It is belief. It is a vote of confidence in the new direction for Zimbabwean football,” he said.
