Methembe Ndlovu
| Methembe 'Mayor' Ndlovu | |
|---|---|
 Image Credit: NewZimbabwe.com | |
| Born | Methembe Ndlovu February 9, 1976 Bulawayo |
| Nationality | Zimbabwe |
| Education | Dartmouth College |
| Occupation |
|
| Spouse(s) | Portia Moyo (former) |
Methembe "Mayor" Ndlovu is a former Highlanders Football Club player. He is the founder and President of Bantu Rovers Football Club and is also the co-founder of Grassroot Soccer which uses soccer as a tool for social change and runs HIV prevention programs in and around Africa.[1]
Background
Methembe Ndlovu was born on 9 February 1976 in Luveve township, Bulawayo.[2]
He attended Milton High School.
He was married to Portia Moyo and the two had two children.[3]
Wife
Mathembe's wife is Jamie Cooper one of the world’s richest women.[4]
Career
Methembe is said to be one of the greatest players to have played for Bosso as well as the national team, going on to captain the side at one point in his career.[5] He played for the national side from the under 23 ranks which he also captained. He had a very successful football career at Dartmouth College.[5]
Clubs Played For
- Albuquerque Geckos
- Highlanders F.C
- Boston Bulldogs
- Dartmouth Big Green
- Cape Cod Crusaders
- Sacramento Geckos[6]
Coaching career
The most colourful part of Methembe's career was when he led Bosso to league cup glory in 2006 in a star-studded team which included the likes of Vusa Nyoni, Obadiah Tarumbwa, Ralph Matema, Master Masiku and Honour Gombami. In the following season he finished second behind Dembare. He was also the assistant to former national team coach Charles Mhlauri.[2] Methembe took charge of Bantu Rover Football Club as the head coach but he was not as successful as coach of the club, the team would be relegated at the end of the 2014 soccer season.[7]
In 2020, Methembe entered his first season as the volunteer assistant coach of the Penn State University men’s football team, having joined the programme in August 2000.[4]
Clubs Coached
- Highlanders Football Club
- Bantu Rovers Football Club
- Indiana Invaders
- Cape Cod Crusaders
Achievements
- Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League winners medal x1 (2006)
- Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League runners-up (2007)
Match Fixing Allegations
The former Highlanders coach was fingered to have partaken in a match fixing scandal and was suspended for the alleged offence for a period of two years.[8] It was reported that he was part of a syndicate which embarked on a tour of Asia and played in dubious tournaments after having assembled a makeshift national team.
Grassroot Soccer
Grassroot Soccer, Inc is a non-profit organisation that uses professional African soccer players as HIV educators into mobilizing the global soccer community to fight the spread of HIV in a broad range of ways through an array of partnerships and programs.
in 2002 together with co-founders Tommy Clark and Kirk Friedrich and Ethan Zohn (all former soccer players in Zimbabwe) travelled to Zimbabwe and reached out to community leaders, headmasters, and focus groups of children and teachers and planned a pilot project that was launched in January 2003. Working with a consultant to develop a culturally appropriate soccer-based curriculum, they then recruited and trained fourteen professional men and women soccer players as HIV educators and Grassroot Soccer was born.
References
- ↑ Bantu Rovers, Bantu , Published: No Date Given, Retrieved: February 18, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nkanyiso Moyo Highlanders sack Methembe Ndlovu, New Zimbabwe, Published: December 11, 2009, Retrieved: February 18, 2015
- ↑ Mashundu Netsianda, Methembe Ndlovu ordered to pay $1000 maintenance, Chronicle, Published: 31 Jan 2015, Retrieved: 3 Dec 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Robson Sharuko, Methembe finds peace, love, The Herald, Published: February 19, 2021, Retrieved: February 21, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dartmouth Soccer Scores in Zimbabwe, Loo.me, Published: November 18, 2006
- ↑ Methembe Ndlovu, How Old, Published: No Date Given, Retrieved: February 18, 2015
- ↑ Sukoluhle Mthethwa It’s over for us — Methembe, The Standard, Published: October 26, 2014, Retrieved: February 18, 2015
- ↑ Methembe Ndlovu ends Asiagate ban, New Zimbabwe, Published: November 25, 2013, Retrieved: February 18, 2015
