ASPIRING Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) president Marshal Gore is anchoring his campaign on the promise of taking Zimbabwean football to the next level via a number of avenues, chief among those grassroots development.
The United Kingdom-based administrator said that he has acquired vast experience over the years through traveling and learning from other countries and believes he can successfully apply the knowledge he has acquired.
He is the only candidate to publicly declare his interest in leading Zifa, with elections set for early next year.
Currently, Zifa is being administered by a normalisation committee, established following a Fifa ban stemming from government interference in the affairs of the association.
Gore said fan engagement and grassroots development will be key when he assumes the Zifa presidency.
He declared his interest in becoming the next Zifa president in July. It is believed Yadah Stars owner, Walter Magaya, and Wangu Mazodze are also interested.
Other names that have been thrown around in media circles include former Warriors striker Alois Bunjira and football commentator Charles Mabika.
Gore said the only way to lure sponsors is to improve the numbers at football matches.
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“One key area is to engage football fans, as you can see I have just watched a football game and there were few fans in the stadium,” he said after watching a league match in Bulawayo recently.
“We need to engage the communities to come back to football and I can tell you, I strongly believe that bringing back fans to football is central to attracting the sponsorship that we need.
"That is one of the key programmes that I will be putting together. At the moment, we are suffering from English football. A lot of our football fans are stuck in taverns and bars, watching English football at the expense of our own local league. We need to rebrand and re-sell it."
On his home visit, Gore also witnessed some junior football and a Zifa Bulawayo Province Division Two match at Desert Grounds in the sprawling suburb of Njube as he continues his nationwide tour to meet football stakeholders.
“I am well-travelled and I think I have learnt a lot of things in my 25 years of experience in football administration. I have global connections which I can count on to be development partners as well," he said.
"I also bring pure love for the game, which has taken me around with the Warriors wherever they have played even though I have been living outside the country. Football is my life. I believe the best way to predict our future is to do something now."
He added: "I hope that I will be able to focus mainly on grassroots football, which is pretty much the manufacturing hub of our football. We have not produced great stars lately and the question is, is football inclusive; are people playing football; are we making the environment in our schools conducive to play?
"There is a lot at stake here in Bulawayo. Football is organised and junior football structures are here. Football strives on competition and if you eradicate competition, especially when people are not being paid to play."
