Maqonda Ndlovu
Arcadia Football Academy has set sights on unearthing and developing talent in a bid to revive the fortunes of the club.
Formed in 1986, the club has had many success stories, and one former developmental player, Mervin Katire, who went on to have a flourishing career with fallen giants Black Africa (BA), has returned to give back to the club that nurtured him.
Speaking at the club’s annual recruitment and registration day on Saturday at their Grysbok training field, Katire said grassroots development must never be ignored.
“I started with this team 30 years ago and played in the second division for two seasons. This opened the doors for me to be where I am today, including playing for Black Africa. Grassroots development is the way to go. As a country, we can’t do anything without grassroots development. It (grassroots development) teaches the basics, discipline, being a team player, and social interaction,” Katire said.
The former BA player, who was recently appointed the new Head of Investor Services by Standard Bank Namibia, said some lessons he learned in football contributed to his journey up until now.
“It all started here. I therefore call on former players to give back to these young players. I also call on corporate entities to support initiatives like these to help shape the future of these young leaders,” Katire said.
Speaking at the same event, Ngamane Karuaihe-Upi, a member of the steering committee, said his role is to help with social and psychological issues for the club’s members.
“We will nurture them mentally and psychologically so that they don’t only win trophies on the field but also at home, with friends, and at school. We complain that our children are engaged in bad vices, but as society, what are we doing to coach and groom them? We must play our part rather than complain that our children are misbehaved,” Karuaihe-Upi said.
He urged parents to play an active role in their children’s lives, while calling upon the municipality to create safe spaces such as football fields or parks, which will keep the children away from bad vices.
“At Arcadia, we aim to meet parents and children and get to know each other better, teach each other, and learn from each other. Where school and sports are concerned, parents have failed the children by failing to show up when needed. We aim to change that,” he concluded.
The academy aims to register U/6 to U/23 players for girls’ and boys’ teams and also plans to become a fully-fledged sports club, offering various sports codes and catering for Namibians across the board.
Parents who wish to register their children with the academy can contact Mathew Haikali on +265 85 522 0647 or email rootzcrew@gmail.com. The academy is also urging potential investors to come on board and develop their training field.