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SPEECH BY THE DIRECTOR, GAME DEVELOPMENT AND DOMESTIC CRICKET, MR GIVEMORE MAKONI, AT THE HANDOVER OF KIT BAGS TO DEVELOPMENT COACHES
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Zimbabwe Cricket Director for Game Development and Domestic Cricket, Mr Givemore Makoni(l), Zimbabwe Cricket Chief Executive Officer, Mr Wilfred Mukondiwa(c) and one of the developments coaches.
Zimbabwe Cricket Director for Game Development and Domestic Cricket, Mr Givemore Makoni(l), Zimbabwe Cricket Chief Executive Officer, Mr Wilfred Mukondiwa(c) and one of the developments coaches.
Harare Sports Club, VIP Pavilion Downstairs
Thursday 26 November, 2015
The Zimbabwe Cricket Chief Executive Officer, Mr Wilfred Mukondiwa;
Other members of the ZC Executive and management here present;
Our coaches;
Members of the media;
Ladies and gentlemen:
Welcome to Harare Sports Club for this handover of kit bags to development coaches.
Cricketers are not born, they are made. They are developed. That development is the responsibility of my department.
The actual development is carried out throughout the country by the men and women you see here, our development coaches. They are the heroes of the development story.
But even heroes need tools with which to carry out their heroic deeds. That is why we are having this ceremony today; handing over kit bags to the coaches to enable them to execute their tasks better.
Let me just go through the contents of each bag.
• There are two bats: one for demonstration and one for fielding.
• There is a mitt to catch balls during catching drills.
• And there are six practice balls.
This is just the beginning of a programme under which we want to see our foot soldiers adequately armed to carry out their development battles around the country.
It is a programme that will make an impact in all the country’s 10 provinces because ZC is a national organisation and so must carry out its obligations to the nation without regard for colour, creed or gender.
We want a situation where anyone anywhere who wants to play cricket is able to do so.
But we are under no illusions as to the enormity of the task. Unlike other cricket boards the world over, ZC has to meet all the costs for running cricket from the age-groups right through to the franchises and national teams, paying the costs of playing kit and equipment, uniforms, tours, food and accommodation.
We have no option because all these are costs that come with converting a once elite sport into one accessible to all Zimbabweans around the country.
But even as we introduce the game, spread it around the country and ensure it continues to be played through the schools, clubs and provincial structures, we need to ensure that there is a competitive throughput to the national teams.
To that extent, we are revamping our domestic programme, with emphasis on the First Class game and the under-19 and Zimbabwe A teams as these are critical in the pathway to the senior national team.
To that extent, we are establishing 4 regional academies starting with Takashinga. These will be complete in two years’ time.
In addition, there is a four-year plan to have fully functional High Performance Centres (HPCs) around the country, in high density areas that is the former blacks-only residential areas.
The plan is to have
• one HPC running in Harare this year;
• 2016 in Bulawayo;
• 2017 in Mutare and Kwekwe;
• 2018 in Chitungwiza; and
• 2019 in Masvingo.
The HPCs will provide facilities, equipment, technological support, first class and international preparation for the identified talent, and act as a feeder for the National Academy.
The National Academy will be the finishing school for cricketers, ensuring that the emerging talent is fine-tuned and readied for Zimbabwe A or the national team. It will have exchange programmes with similar institutions in other Test-playing countries, to learn from international best practice.
We are also approaching counties in England to enter into arrangements where their players come to play in Zimbabwe during their off-season.
We are also approaching Cricket South Africa to engage their franchise sides.
But I said earlier that our efforts are not directed to a specific race, creed or gender.
It is also the responsibility of my department to ensure that the game is equally developed for women.
We will also be reaching out to the visually challenged for example, so that we develop cricket for them.