ZIFA vice-presidential hopeful Loveness Mukura says there is a need to bridge the football gap for the marginalised groups in the society if the game is to be an all-inclusive phenomenon in this country.
The charismatic Herentals Queens chief executive officer is vying for a vice-presidential seat in the ZIFA executive elections set for tomorrow in Harare.
And she said she would be well-positioned to address the plight of the marginalised if given the mandate to deputise the highest post in the association.
The 36-year-old administrator has already demonstrated her keenness to give the marginalised a chance in the game after she recently spearheaded the formation of two Herentals Queens first division teams in Harare and Kwekwe.
She has also started sponsoring an amputee football team that is expected to join the amputee league this year.
She believes there is also talent in the rural areas that needs to be nurtured with the girl child, especially at the centre.
"I feel there should be programmes in place that should be put in place by the ZIFA board because most of the time, you see members attending programs that are in urban set-ups where there is already enough infrastructure and enough coverage. So there is a need for us to come up with programs that can help the young girls in rural areas, most of which are marginalised," said Mukura.
"The thing that I would do the most is come up with an awareness campaign and have specialised programs aimed at the rural girl child, the rural boy child, and the player living with a disability.
"These efforts and plans have to come up in a structured manner to cover the rural child, those living with albinism, the disabled, and all the marginalised communities. That is a huge part of my vision when elected into the office (tomorrow). My heart really bleeds for those marginalised members of our society."
Mukura believes stakeholders involved in working with the marginalised members of the society should be given key roles in leading the empowerment of these groups through football.
"These peripheral groups work with key stakeholders who know their needs and preferences, who know how to handle them, and who know the details pertaining to their needs when it comes to the most beautiful game.
"In this vein, stakeholder engagement becomes very critical because I can see we don't have particular committees in our set-up to cater to the needs of these marginalised groups.
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"So there is a need to involve the associations that are involved and represent these communities so that they can also come in and tell us how best we can incorporate them.
"Nothing is new under the sun, so at times you then look at how other countries are doing it. We can just copy and paste into our own environment. Partnerships are very key in this issue. Sometimes it is not all about the rural player, but there are also marginalised children in urban set-ups.
"We also have to come up with retirement plans and safety nets for those who would have left the game," she added.
Mukura has captured the imagination of many with the way she has executed football administration issues at Herentals, where she has successfully advocated for equal pay between boys and girls.
She has also talked about the need for synergies between ZIFA and stakeholders, including the Government.
