Zimbabwe Under-20 Handball Team Faces Financial H...

Zimbabwe Under-20 Handball Team Faces Financial Hurdles Ahead of Continental Phase

Patience Muchemwa

Senior Reporter

The under-20 national handball team is preparing to compete in the Continental Phase of the International Handball Federation Trophy 2024, scheduled for November 2 to 6 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

However, the team's preparations are hindered by significant financial challenges faced by the Zimbabwe Handball Federation.

In a recent interview with Zim Now, Coach Tafadzwa Madure expressed his concerns about the team's readiness.

“Preparations are not well. Things are not well,” he stated, highlighting the financial constraints that have limited their training opportunities.

“Our mother body, Zimbabwe Handball Federation, is facing a big financial challenge. Handball being the least prioritized sport, we don't have any partners or any sponsors who would want to chip in and help these boys to go and participate.”

Madure explained that the ZHF has been working tirelessly to secure funds for the team to enter training camps. Initially, the plan was to conduct periodic camps once or twice a month. However, due to the financial situation, they have not been able to hold these sessions.

“What we managed to do was to talk to the boys about the situation, and we gave them training programs of what to do whilst we are waiting for the next camp. We are not yet sure when we are going to get in camp again, but the ZHF guys said they are working flat on it so that we can get something,” he added.

Despite these challenges, Madure emphasised the potential of handball in Zimbabwe. “Handball is a very big and interesting sport in Zimbabwe. We can go to primary, high school, tertiary institutions, and club level handball being played in Zimbabwe,” he said.

He noted that the under-20 team has dominated Southern Africa for the past four years, recently claiming the championship at the International Handball Federation Zone 6 tournament held in Zimbabwe earlier this year, which qualified them for the continental phase.

However, the support for the sport remains inadequate.

“When it comes to support that we expect or that we look forward to, it's still very low, which is why at the end of the day preparations won't be fair enough when we are about to go for some big games like this one.”

The stakes are high for the team, as qualifying for this tournament could lead them to the world championships.

“The fact that the boys have been doing well has been putting Zimbabwe on the map. We can't talk of handball in Southern Africa without talking of Zimbabwe,” Madure remarked, expressing hope for a competitive performance despite the lack of resources.

“We would expect these boys to go and give those guys from different zones in Africa that tight competition, but as long as we don't prepare normally, we won't get any good results.”

As the team looks toward the upcoming tournament, the need for support and sponsorship is crucial to ensure they can compete effectively on the continental stage.