Rush Soccer’s REACH Ambassador Lucky Mkosana’s BYS Academy held their second annual tournament in Plumtree, Zimbabwe, winning the final after conceding zero goals and being awarded Goalkeeper and Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

“BYS showed a lot of improvement from last year’s inaugural tournament which we lost in the final,” Mkosana said of his team’s participation in the tournament the previous year.

“We changed a few things this year and made sure every player was at every practice session, and training equipment (balls, cleats, kits, etc) was better this year. You could tell they were more confident with the ball against the opponents, and worked well collectively. Having training equipment motivates the players as they were in a jovial mood, spreading passes like confetti in a wedding.

Mkosana continued, “For next year’s tournament, BYS will go bigger and invite stronger teams/academies in the southern part of Zimbabwe, not just Plumtree. We are hoping some of the players will be selected for the youth national teams.

The equipment donated by Rush Soccer will go a long way this coming year, and will be a living testimony that the REACH program plays a fundamental role in underprivileged communities, where equipment is hard to come by.”

BYS, or Bridging Youth through Soccer, is an academy Mkosana built in his home country of Zimbabwe. It was founded with the initiative of giving underprivileged children a chance to showcase their skills that could eventually lead to sponsorship, all while playing in a safe environment that brings communities and families together. As Rush Soccer’s REACH Ambassador, Mkosana will continue to support clubs like BYS, and find new clubs in others countries in need of soccer equipment.

Additional news about the recent tournament in Zimbabwe can be found here.