Wed, 20 Sep 2017 09:30:26 +0000
By Grace Chaile Lesoetsa
WITH so much hunger in Zambia’s athletes to reap medals at international competitions, lack of infrastructure has always been regarded as a major bottleneck to achieving their dreams.
Inspiringy, Automotive Equipment limited believes producing a world champion comes with investment in infrastructure and management proficiency at grass root levels to nurture talent.
Automotive Equipment is a company well known for providing automobile parts to its clientele. This time, the company has come with a different face by constructing a world class futsal arena located in the heavy industrial area of Lusaka.
Futsal is an indoor exciting, fast-paced five-a-side football game played on 40x20m pitch with 3x2m sized goals and a smaller ball with a reduced bounce. The name “futsal” combines the Spanish words for “Hall”-Sala and “Futbol” –Fustal.
It is officially recognised by both UEFA and FIFA but not competitive in Zambia due to limited infrastructure and financial support.
The indoor facility which is the first of its kind in Zambia is known as the Automotive Futsal Academy that boasts of an international standard indoor futsal pitch with high performance flooring.
It has a 400 sitting capacity with changing rooms, kit –room with laundry service, conference room, gymnasium, secure enclosed parking, sport shop, food and drinks kiosk.
The construction of the facility kicked off in 2016 and was completed by mid-2017, which gave kids from the surrounding communities such as George, Chipata, Kanyama, Mandevu and Zingalume an optimal platform to grow their talent.
Automotive Futsal Academy founder and chairman Tarak Mehta shared his desire to give the talented kids from different backgrounds the opportunity to succeed in life.
For Mehta, playing futsal begun as a hobby in 2007, but as years went by, the immense talent in Zambia inspired the construction of the multi million Kwacha facility.
“I was amazed by the talent in the kids when they played “Chimpombwa” (a ball made from rags) and saw a bright future for futsal in Zambia. It dawned on me that without proper infrastructure and qualified trainers, producing a world class player would remain a far-fetched dream,” he said.
He said the academy’s main objective was to give hope to children that really needed it and he believes the facility would help the young avoid illicit activities as they receive mentorship and support.
He said the kids are monitored on and off the pitch and receives educational support.
Mehta stated that there was nothing satisfying than giving the young players to practice futsal in FIFA certified conditions.
“We follow them on and off the Futsal pitch, ensuring they get an education, and live a healthy life. We want to create the ‘foundation of success’ to give our players an opportunity to succeed in life,” he said.
The facility which was officially opened by Zambia’s former fourth republican president Rupiah Banda on June 25, 2017, has so far over 60 kids in the academy under Italian coach Andrea Cristoforetti.
The academy has five teams which consist of the main team, first division side, under-18, U-15, U-12 and U-10.
He echoed that most renowned international clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester United have their youth players playing futsal because it improves reaction time and self-confidence.
Cristoforetti said countries like Spain, Italy and Brazil are investing in futsal at junior level to have better players at national team level.
He gave examples of Brazil’s Neymar and Argentina’s Lionel Messi as products of futsal at junior level that have developed admirable skills.
“Futsal improves the player’s decision-making skills and develops the confidence in players to go one-on-one allowing them to be creative in getting around their opponent,
“Through its intense pace and rapid execution, players learn to cope in tight spaces developing the ability to both defend and attack,” he explained.
Cristoforetti described Zambia’s development in the sport as bright, saying the country has immense talented kids that have the speed and passion for football.
He explained that it approximately took 10 years to mould an international standard player, therefore the reason the academy is mentoring kids as young as 10 years.
“We have a future and results don’t come over night. Futsal is a different game and the full development of a player takes about 10 years. But with this international facility, Zambia is headed for success,” he said.
Automotive Futsal Academy recently signed an historic collaboration agreement based on the sport and social responsibility part with World’s best club Intermovistar of Spain. Intermovistar have won the UEFA futsal cup five times.
The academy has also signed a technical sponsorship with Joma, a Spanish sports clothing manufacturer which produces footwear and clothing for different sports disciplines including futsal.
Mehta said affiliating with clubs such has Intermovistar will greatly help the academy grow.
“This is a plus for the academy as we will receive technical support from an experienced club in our quest to nurture a team to command Africa in the years to come,” he said.
He hinted that his dream was to see the Automotive club compete in inter-club championship.
“Futsal is way developed in North Africa because of adequate investment in the sport. I believe we can also do it in Zambia,” he said.
In 2016, the automotive club contributed five players to the Zambian team that participated at the 2016 Africa Futsal Cup of Nations.
Zambia finished fourth after losing 2-1 on penalties to Mozambique after playing to a 5-all draw in regulation time.
With cries by the government on the private sector to invest in infrastructure and sport at grassroots level, Automotive Equipment is truly a good partner in Zambia’s quest to improve the sporting standards in the country.
