{"id":42282,"date":"2025-11-19T08:03:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T08:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=42282"},"modified":"2025-11-19T08:03:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T08:03:13","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwomen-football-the-sleeping-giant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2025\/11\/19\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwomen-football-the-sleeping-giant\/","title":{"rendered":"Women football, the sleeping giant"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Stuck in a delusional state of inaction for far too long, women\u2019s football now faces its greatest test.<\/p>\n<p>While the sport has shown moments of promise over the years, indications are that, it has not reached its full potential.<\/p>\n<p>Growth remains stunted.<\/p>\n<p>The Mighty Warriors, currently ranked 130th in the world, could have been much higher had they been more active.<\/p>\n<p>The upcoming Malawi Tri-Nations will be the second tournament this year the senior national team competes in after the disappointing Africa Women Cup of Nations campaign held in February.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike the men\u2019s football, where financial backing, visibility, and organisational standards have gradually improved, women\u2019s football has long suffered from limited funding, poor infrastructure, and inadequate competitive structures.<\/p>\n<p>It is harder for Zimbabwe to conquer the world in men\u2019s football than in women\u2019s, hence the belief that just half the efforts in men could help the ladies realise their dream.<\/p>\n<p>There are, however, indications that the women\u2019s game could rise much faster globally than the men\u2019s team, deliberate effort is applied.<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday, the Zimbabwe Football Association unveiled the Women\u2019s Football Strategy (2025\u20132028), a blueprint expected to redefine the women\u2019s game and anchor it on strong developmental foundations.<\/p>\n<p>The roadmap sets out ZIFA\u2019s ambition to transform women\u2019s football into a \u2018powerhouse of opportunity, national pride, and competitive excellence.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis strategy, therefore, emerges as a response to both the progress and the gaps. It builds upon lessons from the past and introduces a systematic approach to development, linking grassroots participation, coach education, league growth, talent identification, governance, and commercialisation into one cohesive framework,\u201d says ZIFA.<\/p>\n<p>The strategy aims to ensure that every girl, from grassroots to elite level, has a place in football, not only as a player, but also as a referee, coach, leader, or fan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur goal is to restore Zimbabwe\u2019s glory days by qualifying for major tournaments and reclaiming our position as a giant in Southern African football,\u201d it adds.<\/p>\n<p>ZIFA says the strategy aligns with FIFA and CAF Women\u2019s Football Development Frameworks and integrates with the association\u2019s broader strategic agenda. It is a collective call to action for government, schools, communities, clubs, corporates, and development partners to invest in women\u2019s football as a tool for empowerment, unity, and transformation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe journey ahead is ambitious, but so were the women who took the first steps. This document honours their legacy by defining clear goals, measurable outcomes, and the structures that will propel Zimbabwean women\u2019s football into a new era,\u201d says ZIFA.<\/p>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related Posts<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#Women #football #sleeping #giant<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stuck in a delusional state of inaction for far too long, women\u2019s football now faces its greatest test. While the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[933,3411,7977,377],"class_list":["post-42282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-example-3","tag-football","tag-giant","tag-sleeping","tag-women"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42282"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42283,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42282\/revisions\/42283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}