By Sports Reporter

ZIMBABWE national women’s football team striker Rudo Neshamba has taken the first step towards a coaching career after joining Real Betis Academy Zimbabwe.

The former Mighty Warriors captain, who was unveiled at the Harare-based academy, will head Real Betis Academy Zimbabwe’s soon-to-be-established girls’ side.

The 31-year-old Bulawayo-born forward, who recently had a stint at Israeli club FC Ramat HaSharon said she is delighted to join Real Betis Academy.

“I am happy to join Betis,” Neshamba said.

“The Academy has shown great progress over the years in Zimbabwe. I will bring my experience from my journey in football as a player, and I look forward to learning and developing as a Coach under the guidance of the Real Betis technical support.”

Betis Academy chairman Gerald Sibanda said: “It’s an exciting chapter in the vision of Real Betis Academy Zimbabwe.

“Rudo played at the highest level of international football and has captained our great country Zimbabwe.

“She brings a lot of experience, mentorship and leadership skills to all our players both boys and girls. We are very happy to see the formation of our girls’ teams.

“We can’t wait to see girls around our national regions enjoy their football dreams and develop their talent through the methodology of our club Real Betis.”

Neshamba began her career at Inline Academy in Bulawayo before making her Mighty Warriors debut at the 2008 edition of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Cup.

The highlight of her career came in 2016 when she was part of the Mighty Warriors squad which represented the country at the Rio Olympic Games.

After a successful career in which she also featured for clubs in Zimbabwe and Botswana in addition to a stint in Israel, Neshamba now appears set to venture into full-time coaching, starting with the new role at Real Betis Academy.

She also holds a Diploma in Journalism and Communication Studies from the Christian College of Southern Africa (Ccosa).