Suburban
Prince Edward High School’s Soccer Academy has once again come up for praise for doing its part in contributing to the nurturing of soccer talent in Zimbabwe.
While the academy’s good work has proved itself through the numerous products it has been producing over the years, this time around one of the academy’s graduates who is still honing his skills and is now on the books of Zimbabwe’s most successful soccer team, Dynamos, has actually singled it out the academy at the Harare-based boys high school for propelling his career thus far.
In his soccer journey, budding midfielder Hamilton Gomba has passed through three other soccer academies but reckons the Prince Edward Academy is the one which gave him more exposure.
The teenage midfielder Hamilton is following in the footsteps of his father Carrington Gomba, who starred for the club, with the most number of league championships in Zimbabwe, in 2009.
“My father inspired me to start playing football when I was still at a young age. I would enjoy watching him playing and I decided to follow in his footsteps.”
Hamilton’s career has seen him playing for Hwange Juniors, OT Lions Academy, Nengasha Stars but says Prince Edward Academy is the one that gave me more exposure.
“My father inspires me the most because playing football is not easy. I think I get the strength to keep moving from my father and football needs someone who is dedicated to what you are doing.
“Football has always been something in my blood, I think inherited that from my father’s side of the family.
“I’m excited to be at Dynamos I feel honoured. My dad is supporting me and I see myself surpassing his performance. I have more respect for the club and I will try my level best to showcase what’s in me. I never thought that one day I would end up playing for the most supported team in the country at this age. I am happy to be here and fulfilling my dad’s wish,” he said in an article published on his team’s website www.dynamosfc.co.zw.
At 18 years old, he has big career aspirations.
“My dream is to play in Europe. I would be very happy because I would have reached my target. I am still young and I still have something to prove, to be the best of the best.”
His European dreams are not misplaced as Zimbabwe international striker Tino Kadewere who is currently playing for Olympique Lyon in Ligue 1 in France, also passed through Prince Edward while another Zimbabwe international Marvelous Nakamba who plays for Aston Villa in the English Premier League, hails from Hwange, which is also Hamilton’s hometown and where has passed through the juniors of the biggest team there, Hwange FC.
Kadewere and Nakamba should surely rank among the biggest sources of inspiration for Hamilton because they have passed through the same towns or academies with him.
The two are of course in addition to his father Carrington who played as a midfielder and also made it outside the country plying his trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Zambia playing for FC Lupopo (DRC), Don Bosco (DRC) and Red Arrows (Zambia).
At Dynamos, Hamilton also has company from PE in promising striker Luke Musikiri (16) and 18 year old Bill Antonio who is a prefect and Athletics captain at PE. Antonio was part of the Zimbabwe Young Warriors at the COSAFA Under 20 tournament last year.
Musikiri joined Harare giants Dynamos ahead of the 2021 season in a deal soccer analysts say gives him an ideal platform to continue sharpening his skills and test his pedigree as a rising striker.
Last year, Musikiri won the 2020 Junior Sports Person of the Year award and also secured sponsorship from Nakamba who has undertaken to bankroll Musikiri’s education up to tertiary level.
Barely two months after these feats, Musikiri made another step in his promising career by signing for Dynamos, an opportunity to cement his growing status as an accomplished goal scorer. — Suburban Reporter/www.dynamosfc.co.zw
