By Julius Idrissa Manganda
Excel Academy were crowned champions of the Harare Provincial Junior League U17 Tournament yesterday after cruising to victory with a commanding 3–1 win over Chitungwiza in the final.
The one-day tournament, which concluded in style, attracted 20 junior clubs from across the province.
Teams were grouped into four pools, with the top two from each group advancing to the quarterfinals. The knockout stages produced intense battles: Greenblood edged Real Stars 1–0, Chitungwiza squeezed past Cadship 5–4 on penalties, Young Stars narrowly beat Auto Academy 1–0, while Excel Academy overcame Kuyamurana 3–0 on penalties.
In the semifinals, Greenblood fell to Chitungwiza 4–3 on penalties after a goalless draw, while Young Stars were eliminated by Excel Academy, who triumphed 4–2 on penalties following another stalemate.
The final between Excel Academy and Chitungwiza was tightly contested and ended 0–0 in regular time. Excel Academy then held their nerve to clinch the title 3–1 on penalties — a testament to their skill, discipline and determination.
Beyond the silverware, the tournament’s bigger goal was to identify promising young players who will represent Harare in the upcoming U17 national team selection. The league’s scouting team, led by Chairman of Selection Brian Mapfumo, expressed satisfaction with the talent on display.
“We are looking at the performance of players, if they are technically and tactically good, and also considering their physicality, given that these players will play against teams from North Africa,” said Mr Mapfumo.
“The goal of this tournament is to give everyone a chance, gone are the days when only players from clubs like Dynamos and Highlanders had the majority of players in the national team. Now, these tournaments give an opportunity to players from urban and rural areas to have a chance for selection,” he added.
Coaches praised the tournament for promoting inclusivity and transparency.
Real Stars coach Stanely Kavhayo commended the event for ensuring fair chances for all:
“It’s good to have tournaments like these, they give all players a chance and curb an avenue of corruption. Previously, we have heard cases where children who did not participate were found playing in the final selection. But these tournaments give everyone a chance,” he said.
Cadship Stars coach Bobby Madzivanzira welcomed the initiative but urged top-flight league scouts to take youth tournaments more seriously:
“This tournament is the future of our nation. We should be seeing premier league coaches scouting here. Internationally, we have players like Yamal who are of the same age as these young players. I think premier league coaches should be scouting or visiting academies and letting these young stars play,” he said.
Sabina Makuni of Chioniso Academy called for greater female participation in coaching:
“This tournament has given players a platform to showcase their talent, and the competition is aiding in their development. The premier league coaches are missing out on the talent that is in these academies. I encourage other ladies to take up coaching, it’s very interesting,” she said.
Harare Provincial Junior League Chairman Lloyd “Mablanyo” Chigova also emphasised the need for better youth scouting systems and addressed the persistent challenge of age cheating:
“We need to improve a lot as a nation in terms of scouting, especially at the highest league. Not many coaches believe in playing young players. If you look at big teams in the world, they all have scouts who watch their youth tournaments. But our clubs don’t have scouts who come and watch these youth tournaments,” said Mablanyo.
“Any coach and players found guilty will automatically be disqualified, and that team will lose points in the league,” added Mablanyo.
The 2024 Harare Provincial Junior League U17 Tournament was a resounding success, providing a vital stage for young footballers to shine and for talent scouts to identify the next generation of national stars.
With growing support from coaches and stakeholders, the league remains committed to nurturing and developing future football talent across Zimbabwe.
