By Flata Kavinga
Hardrock Football Club is moving closer to establishing a football school of excellence in Redcliff following engagements with Portuguese giants Benfica over a proposed partnership that will see the European club provide technical expertise in player development.
The proposed partnership, which is expected to be formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), will focus on establishing a high-performance centre and developing young football talent from grassroots level to senior football.
Hardrock board member Charles Chahwanda said the visit by a high-level Benfica delegation was aimed at assessing the club’s facilities and exploring areas of cooperation after Hardrock officials toured the Portuguese club’s facilities in Lisbon.
The delegation toured Dream Inn Chicago, Dream Inn Newtown, BD Mine, Hard Rock Milling Plant and Chahwanda Stadium in Kwekwe as part of its assessment of Hardrock’s existing infrastructure and investment capacity.
Chahwanda said Benfica was renowned for its youth development structures, prompting Hardrock to seek expertise from the European club.
“Benfica is regarded as one of the best teams in the world in terms of organisational structures for youth development. When we got wind of that information, we thought it was wise for us to tour Benfica and find out how they are doing it,” he said.
He said the proposed MoU would provide a framework for cooperation, with Benfica expected to share expertise in player management, youth development and other aspects of football administration.
“They have the expertise and will share everything with us, including manpower exchanges and all the aspects that are needed for grooming players from very young ages to adulthood,” Chahwanda said.
He, however, said the project was still at the preparatory stage, with timelines and other implementation details yet to be finalised.
Benfica international technical coordinator Davide Gomes said the delegation was impressed by the facilities it had toured, describing them as comparable to those found at some established football institutions.
Gomes, who oversees Benfica’s international operations outside Portugal, said the proposed partnership had significant potential and could allow the two clubs to begin sharing technical knowledge.
“We are very happy to be here and honoured by the invitation. The facilities are top facilities. There are not many clubs, especially from our experience travelling around Africa, with the same facilities that we have seen here,” he said.
Gomes said Benfica was keen to reach an agreement that would enable the exchange of expertise, adding that some aspects of the collaboration could begin before the proposed academy was completed.
Hardrock chairman Wellington Mpandare said the club had deliberately pursued the engagement after being impressed by Benfica’s infrastructure and youth development model during a visit to Portugal.
He said one of the major considerations in the discussions had been Hardrock’s ability to finance the proposed school of excellence without relying on government guarantees, which he said Benfica normally sought when considering similar projects.
Mpandare said Hardrock was confident it could meet the requirements, citing the availability of land and the financial capacity of club president Shepherd Chahwanda.
He said the proposed academy would operate as a boarding school, combining formal education, football training, accommodation and other essential facilities.
Mpandare said the model would allow young players, particularly those aged between Under-13 and Under-19, to receive structured training while remaining in a controlled environment that supports their overall development.
He said Zimbabwe needed to move beyond conventional youth development arrangements where players trained at clubs before returning home, arguing that professional development also required proper nutrition, accommodation and access to performance data.
“People, clubs now look at data. Data analysis, you compile the data of the players after training. It is no longer the same as way back when players would go for trials,” he said.
Mpandare said the proposed centre would provide an environment where young players could access professional coaching, proper nutrition, education and performance monitoring, helping them meet the demands of modern football.
The proposed partnership could provide Hardrock with an opportunity to tap into Benfica’s established youth development system, although the final terms, implementation timelines and construction plans are yet to be announced.
