By McGeorge Mbare
The Zimbabwe Football Association have taken a giant step towards professionalizing sports management with the launch of the FIFA/CIES Sports Management Program in partnership with Midlands State University and FIFA on Tuesday.
The program aims to promote and build strong governance and professional leadership within not only the local football fraternity but sport in general.
Zimbabwe has become only the second country in Southern Africa after South Africa to offer the prestigious course.
In a statement, ZIFA said: “The launch of the MSU / ZIFA / FIFA / CIES International Programme in Sports Management marks a major milestone in building strong governance, professional leadership and sustainable football development in Zimbabwe.
“A global qualification. A national investment. A future-focused vision,” the ZIFA statement reads.
The program’s main objective is to equip current and aspiring sports leaders with the skills needed to manage modern sports professionally and ethically.
It covers six areas such as sports management, marketing and sponsorship, finance, law, communication, and event management.
Prior to its launch in Zimbabwe, professionals from this country had to cough up vast amounts of money shuttling between Zimbabwe and South Africa to earn the qualification across the Limpopo