by Administrator
Issued by FIFA.com
Football in Zimbabwe
Football is clearly the number one sport in
Zimbabwe, both in terms of the number of active players and attendances at matches. The Zimbabwean national team is currently among the Top 10 in Africa, mainly due to their many appearances in international competitions organised by FIFA, CAF and COSAFA (Confederation of South African Football Associations) at senior and junior level, as well as in women’s football. In Group 6 of the qualifying round for the African Cup of Nations 2004, Zimbabwe finished second behind Mali despite having the same number of points. Their inferior goal difference proved to be crucial in the end. Zimbabwe have won the COSAFA Cup once (2000), and the national youth team has won the COSAFA Cup twice. The women’s team is among the Top 5 in Africa and qualified for the Final of the COSAFA Women’s Cup in 2002. Over 20 Zimbabwean players currently play professional football in South Africa. Other players have made the breakthrough in Europe, including Peter Ndlovu (Sheffield United, England) and Banjani Mwaruwaru (Auxerre, France). George Shaya has been crowned Zimbabwe Player of the Year five times.
Second Goal project
On 2 June 2009, the Goal Bureau approved the Zimbabwe Football Association’s second project, which was necessary to complete and renovate the infrastructures constructed as part of the country’s first
Goal project. The improvements made include the completion of the earthwork and construction of a
football pitch, the construction of dressing rooms, floodlighting, and improving access routes to the technical centre.
Use of FAP funds
Project
Extension of the national technical centre
Project approved on
2 June 2009
Financed by
Goal USD 400,000 Total cost USD 400,000
Click here to download the full PDF.
by Administrator
ACT Global Sports invites the synthetic turf industry to join us in offering support to CARE and World Vision to respond to the serious drought and hunger concerns in Eastern Africa.
For more information and to donate to the Horn of Africa Food Crisis through CARE please click here. To donate through World Vision, please click here.
by Administrator
Dear Valuable Stakeholders,
ACT Global Sports is proud to be a steadfast member of the United Nations Global Compact for the past four years. In continuation, our entire global family has put their best foot forward toward higher advancements in the synthetic turf market and the worldwide communities in which we serve. We are extremely pleased with the growth we have endured in the past year to include the encouraged principles outlined by the United Nations Global Compact.
With our expanding global footprint we embrace all cultures and communities which encompass our synthetic turf industry. With delicate humanitarian consideration, ACT Global Sports does everything we can to understand and harmonize the needs of our employees, partners and the marketplace.
We are leading the way in our industry through the guidelines set forth by the United Nations Global Compact. These principles connect our understanding of the turf industry with the world around us for mutual success. By submission of our 2011 annual report we anticipate others will see the value of the basic principles of the Global Compact to also engage in this shared wealth of knowledge and implications for a better tomorrow.
Best regards,
/s/ John Baize
Managing Director
We invite you to download our full 2011 Communication on Progress PDF version here or read the report online at www.actglobalsports.com/UnitedNationsGlobalCompact_ACTGlobalSports.html.
by Administrator
ACT Global Sports welcomes their 27th FIFA certified field with the Hooglanderveen Stadium in The Netherlands
The football club Hooglanderveen, located in Amersfoort, Netherlands installed the newest generation of football turf from ACT Global Sports. This Xtreme Turf exceeds other synthetic turf systems in the market with its unique combination of top stadium-level performance and a new level of durability.
Both the performance and durability are proven as the installed system meets the top two-star performance requirements of the FIFA Quality Concept. Additionally, the artificial grass fibers have been tested to 50,000 Lisport cycles which represent intense use over multiple years.
For more information please read the full article here.
by Administrator
Issued by ESPN Soccernet– 2011
By Firdose Moonda
Sepp Blatter will visit Zimbabwe for the first time on Monday en route to South Africa, where he is due at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee. He will attend the COSAFA women’s football championships and the opening of the Rufaro Stadium and Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) village
in Harare.
The stadium was given an artificial football turf with funding from FIFA’s GOAL project, the first imprint the development scheme has made in Zimbabwe. GOAL aims to bridge the gap in facilities between European countries and their less advanced counterparts in Africa, Asia and South America and has made provision to fund facilities in 35 African countries.
Zimbabwe is eager to show its progress to Blatter, because it has received additional funds to complete a second GOAL project.
In July 2009, the second GOAL venture was approved for Zimbabwe that will see an extension to the national technical centre, floodlights, dressing rooms and improved access routes built for the Rufaro Stadium. The second project is currently ongoing and expected to be complete in September. Zimbabwe were initially given US $400,000 and have had that topped up by US $150,000.
Zida believe the increased funding has come as a result of its willingness to commit to transparency and accountability and its improved sense of corporate governance under president Cuthbert Dube. “To prove that we are transparent, FIFA pay the contractors direct … we won’t handle a cent,” Dube told the country’s NewsDay newspaper when discussing the GOAL projects.
Dube took over the FA last year when it was insolvent and believes he has made significant strides to getting Zimbabwe football back on track. He sees Blatter’s visit as a stamp of approval for his regime. “This is a huge vote of confidence in this board and I am glad to say our interactions at COSAFA, CAF and FIFA level are bearing fruit and people have seen that we are conducting our affairs in a business manner,” Dube said.
Blatter will hold a press conference at 10am Zimbabwe time on Monday morning.
Zimbabwe is also due to be visited by FIFA’s head of security, Chris Eaton, as it wraps up an investigation into alleged match-fixing. ZIFA submitted the second part of a report into the scandal that has become known as Asiagate to CAF and FIFA. The investigation looked into Zimbabwe’s tour of Asia last year, where they lost 6-0 to Syria and 3-0 to Thailand.
Then-chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya sent the national team on the tour, although the matches were unsanctioned. The matches were linked to be a betting syndicate and were placed under inquiry. Rushwaya was fired for her actions in October last year. ZIFA have submitted its findings to both the continental and world footballing bodies and CAF has acknowledged receipt of the report. Eaton was due to arrive in Zimbabwe this week but, as yet, there has been no word of his presence.
