The Sunday Mail
Online Reporter
IT was because of football that Stephen Alimenda saw the world and even had the rare chance to rub shoulders with superstars like Kaka, Robinho and Dani Alves.
He came on as a second-half substitute when Zimbabwe played Brazil in a historic friendly at the National Sports Stadium on June 2, 2010, a match that was part of the build-up to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
Alimenda also played for Zimbabwe’s ‘Big Three’ teams — Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United.
He won two Premier Soccer League titles with Dynamos in 2013 and 2014.
Since then, DeMbare has not lifted the league championship, while Alimenda has sank into oblivion since his retirement from the game in 2017.
However, the former gritty defensive linkman has been heavily involved in junior football development through the Alimenda Stephen (AS) Academy, which is based in Harare’s high-density suburb of Glen Norah.
The former Lancashire Steel, CAPS United and Highlanders star plans to unearth and develop future stars.
He will host the Alimenda Stephen Under-13 football tournament at Glen Norah A Community Hall grounds on October 28.
A number of academies from across the country will take part in the inaugural tournament.
Sunshine Academy from Mt Darwin and Northville of Kwekwe are some of the teams that will participate.
“We will have players born in or after January 2010, and we have invited teams from the rural areas, because we believe there is talent out there,” Alimenda told The Sunday Mail Online.
“The purpose is to uplift these youngsters so that they can get the same opportunities we had during our playing days.
“The young footballers should enjoy their game and develop at the same time.”
The Alimenda Stephen Academy has different age groups from Under-11s to Under-20s.
“We have hosted a number of tournaments before, especially for the Under-18s, but this time we are concentrating on the 13s and under age group because we want to catch them young.”
As part of his efforts to develop juniors, he has scouted scores of players from areas such as Dotito, Mt Darwin and Buhera, who have been awarded scholarships at Glen Norah High 2.
“The idea is to go national with our scouting,” he said.
“We are aiming to have top players in each age group.
“Last season, our Under-20s played in Harare Province Division 2A.
“We now have about 12 players who are scattered across Division One teams.
“At the end of the day, the idea is to develop quality players who are good enough to play for the national team, even go abroad and also earn good money in the process.
“We need kids to grow up knowing that football can also be a reliable job.”
Just like many academies surfacing across the country, the Alimenda Stephen Academy has not been spared from financial challenges.
“We need financial assistance to buy balls, transport fares and food,” said the former Zimbabwe international.
“We cannot do it alone. We need support from stakeholders.
“It is also important to remember that this is also an initiative to keep these kids away from drugs.”
