Welcome to Nigel Munyati and Marc Duvillard’s dreamland – the state of the art Aces Youth Soccer Academy (AYSA). These are founder members of arguably the most successful soccer academy in the country. Their achievements in the past 10 years speak volumes, but they are still dreaming big.

Their mission is to develop and manage a place of learning excellence for the youth by providing emotional, intellectual, vocational, and physical development to underprivileged young boys and girls so that they become successful soccer personalities. Founded in 2001, AYSA is renting football grounds at Lord Malvern School for training and owns a club house in Waterfalls. It began 15, 12-year-old boys and the assistance of five coaches – Expense Chitukutuku, Gift Kagogoda, Emmanuel Manene, Christopher Kunaka and Gladys Bobo.

The institution has so far groomed promising players like Knowledge Musona of German Bundesliga outfit, TSG Hoffenheim, Khama Billiart (Ajax Cape Town), Lincoln Zvasiya, Abas Amidu (Kaizer Chiefs) and Mighty Warriors star-striker, Rufaro Machingura.

AYSA owns 25 hectares of land purchased to build a world-class academy just outside the capital. The dream project will “run as a full-service boarding school with the appropriate academic, education, health, and social amenities.”

It will be built in phases that will see the development of soccer pitches, cafeteria, class and changing rooms this year and the construction of administration buildings, dormitories, ancillary buildings and staff accommodation next year.

Contractors began work on the virgin land this week, with the aim of finishing by the end of next year, should the estimated US$1,500,000 funding be obtained.

“There is a lot that needs to be done in terms of development,” said Duvillard.

“People need to be serious. I have told some people about how these kids need to be trained and that there would be no point in having young players playing in a big pitch. I once watched a game where a boy touched the ball only twice - taking a free kick and making a throw-in. You get people agreeing, but tomorrow, they go back to the same concept.”

Munyati concurred. “All they will be doing is training the players to be athletes because they spend half the time chasing the ball. That is not fun for these boys. They need to have a feel for the ball as many times as they can.”

The duo’s passion to develop football is amazing.

Duvillard has in recent years sourced funding from his home country, Switzerland, resulting in the coming in of sponsors such as singer Phil and wife Orienna Collins’ Little Dreams Foundation, the Embassy of Switzerland in Zimbabwe and the Swedish Lasse Weinas Sports Foundation.

Seventeen boys and three girls are housed at the Academy’s club house. Three boys’ dormitories – Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge- and one for the girls were neatly decorated by bunk-beds during a tour of The Zimbabwean. There was one computer room and a furnished classroom for the players’ academic lessons.

“We are not just about sport. We believe in grooming a complete human being. Some of them are orphans, vulnerable children and others are less privileged. When we take them in, take care of all their needs, including education. We are doing this to better their lives and help them realize what they can do with their talent.”

Among the major challenges AYSA has faced is lack of a junior league in Zimbabwe, which leaves their players with no big stage to showcase their talent at an early age and having to wait for years before they can make their break in their Northern Region Division One team.

“It (AYSA) was a project between a Swiss club and Black Aces which collapsed. My wife and I decided to stay here. I then met Nigel. It has not been easy though, especially with the crisis in Zimbabwe back in 2000, to talk of Zimbabwe in Europe people would say oooh it’s contagious,” said Duvillard.

“Despite that we managed to talk to some people and together with a friend started Friends of AYSA in Switzerland, where people do a fundraising every year. I had a nephew who worked for Little Dreams Foundation who introduced me and we met with Phil Collins who agreed to help us. My job is to source funds. Every time I go to Switzerland, I meet people to explain what we are doing and in the end we get the little, but it is not enough.”