When City SC Carlsbad soccer coach Tapiwa Manhungo was in first grade, Zimbabwe’s national team qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time. Midfielder Clement Matawu became his first soccer hero — French legend Thierry Henry would come later.
Growing up in the capital city of Harare, Manhungo fell in love with the game. With no field and no ball — just the open spaces around his neighborhood — he and his friends kicked plastic bottles, dreaming of one day being like Matawu.
“I always wanted to be a soccer player,” Manhungo told The Coast News. “That’s all I wanted to do.”
Manhungo described his own childhood as relatively secure, noting that his parents both had jobs — his father as a consultant and his mother in the insurance industry — which gave him stability that many of his peers lacked.
“I think I had a secure, safe childhood,” he said, “but most of the players I grew up with weren’t in the same boat. Many of their parents didn’t have jobs, and they were raising multiple children on very little.”
After finishing school in Zimbabwe, Manhungo came to the United States on a soccer scholarship, starting at Paris Junior College in Texas before transferring to the University of the Ozarks in Arkansas.
Shortly after arriving, he suffered a torn ACL, which sidelined him for 12 months. However, he recovered and went on to play three more seasons of college soccer.
After years of playing and coaching in the U.S., Manhungo wanted to bring that same structure and opportunity to kids back home. In January, the fifth-year City SC Carlsbad coach launched City SC Harare, a youth soccer club in his hometown, designed to provide young players with opportunities rarely available in Zimbabwe.
The program is free to join, with more than 60 boys and girls across four age groups. It aims to provide not only structure and competition but also meals, mentorship, and a sense of hope.
“When I was a kid, I couldn’t afford to play club soccer,” Manhungo said. “That’s why none of our kids pay to play. I want them to have the opportunities I never had — to be part of something organized, something that gives them hope.”
In Harare, opportunities are scarce: nearly half of Zimbabweans aged 15 to 35 are neither in school, training, nor employed, and more than half of young women fall into this category, according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency.
High youth unemployment and prolonged idleness have been associated with increases in drug abuse, theft, and other risky behaviors among young people in the country, according to the British Council’s “Next Generation Zimbabwe Report” in 2019.
“During the holidays, when kids have more free time, that’s when they’re most at risk,” Manhungo said. “We make sure they have a place to go, something to focus on, and meals after practice or games. For some, it might be the only food they eat all day.”
City SC Harare currently operates with one full-time coach and a part-time volunteer, overseeing players from U-11 through U-17.
Head coach Munyaradzi Diya is a former goalkeeper for the Zimbabwe national team and local professional teams Dynamos and Highlanders.
“He is the right man for the job,” Manhungo said. “With what we are looking for, not just results, but we’re looking for someone who is a role model to the kids, someone who’s done it, and someone who has a clean record.”
One of the club’s standout players, Trish Matenga, has already been called up to the Zimbabwe U-15 women’s national team.
Since its January 2025 launch, City SC Harare has raised $16,000 through donations from well-wishers, contributions from City SC Carlsbad, and a fundraising tournament.
Looking ahead, Manhungo aims to raise $20,000 for the 2026 season to expand the program, hire additional coaches, provide more uniforms, and potentially host tournaments or a summer camp for the players.
“We need to secure more because it hasn’t been enough,” Manhungo said. “We need more coaches and more gear for the boys. We usually share the two sets of uniforms we have. After a 90-minute game at 4 p.m., four of the kids told our coach, ‘This is the only thing we’ve eaten all day.’
“I’ve seen what structure and consistency can do for young players, especially here, and I want our kids back home to experience that too,” Manhungo continued. “City SC Harare isn’t just a football club — it’s a vision for what Zimbabwean youth can become when they’re given structure, belief, and opportunity. Our focus is on developing good players, but even better human beings.”
Donations can be made here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-city-sc-harares-mission-today
