Another Zimbabwean to light the American football scene

GROWING up in Chitungwiza, Kudakwashe Murasiranwa toyed with the idea of a career in football but the sad tales of little rewards as told by former players in his neighbourhood killed that idea very quickly.

Now 17 and based in Canada, the multi-talented Zimbabwean athlete is being touted as a real football gem.

But this is not the same football that Murasiranwa spent hours playing in the tattered streets of Chitungwiza.

This is American football, a sport he was introduced to just a year ago.

The Zimbabwean has taken to the game like a duck to water and his college coach reckons the "game was made for him", while a number of US sides are said to have taken interest in him. As he stands on the verge of a big National Football League breakthrough, Murasiranwa reflects on the long journey already travelled.

"ln Chitungwiza my friends and l mostly played soccer and cricket just to pass time. We never took sports seriously because we didn't know where it would take us, we focused mostly on our education," he recalls.

However, his view of sports changed when he moved to South Africa.

"When I was 10, my two brothers and I went to stay with our sister and her husband in South Africa after our parents had migrated to the United States.

"We lived in Stellenbosch, about 50km east of Cape Town, and there I began to appreciate the other side of life," revealed Murasiranwa.

"There was a lot of competition in sport. I attended a school called AF Louw Primary School in Stellenbosch where l became well-known for playing soccer and track competitions. When I was in Grade 7 l was appointed headboy of the school. It was quite a challenge since I was in a foreign land.

"For my Grade 8 I was recruited by a very good high school called Paul Roos. It was really good on sports. My desire to pursue sports became stronger because of the good training facilities, the professional coaches and the motivation from other students."

Murasiranwa quickly established himself as a key member of the Paul Roos soccer team.

"When I was 15, I was chosen as one of top five players from Cape Town and we were scheduled to go and play against Barcelona Academy in Spain. Sadly I could not go on the tour after they realised I was not a South African citizen. I was so depressed at losing such an opportunity to display my skills at one of the best teams in the world," he says.

In March of 2014, he was to join his parents, who had moved to Canada. Adjusting to life in North America was a challenge but his talent in sports easily made him a darling of many.

"Two weeks after landing in Canada I joined Edmonton Royals. In my first competition I broke the junior provincial record in 200 meters and came first in the 100-meter race," says Murasiranwa.

"After watching me compete in athletics, the school's coach for American football invited me to watch how the game is played.

"I started practicing with the boys and after a few weeks he selected me play in the first team and I was an instant star.

"By the end of the football season I had scored the second-highest touchdowns and was voted the week's Most Valuable Player on several occasions."

If Murasiranwa does break into the NFL, he will become the second Zimbabwean to do so after Stansly Maponga who plays for Atlanta Falcons.