Third Season Of Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom Kicks Off

Over 1,500 teams have registered for the latest edition of the Chapa Dimba na Safaricom youth tournament which kicked off last weekend with grassroots games at the Coast.

The region’s girls defending champions Changamwe Ladies registered straightforward wins over Changamwe Queens and Bomu Starlets scoring 17 goals in the process. Shimanzi Youth who have since changed their identity to Kick Stars begin their quest to defend their regional title this weekend with a match against Mombasa Kings.

“Since we launched in 2017, we have seen an increase in the number of teams who are interested in the tournament. This just goes to show the transformational impact the tournament has had on the youth of this country,” said Nick Mwendwa, President, Football Kenya Federation (FKF).

The first of 8 regional finals will be held in North Eastern on the weekend of 23^rd – 24^th November with winners from each region getting KES 200,000 and a chance to battle for the KES 1 million prize money at the national finals.

Just like last season, scouts from LaLiga, the men’s top professional football division of the Spanish League and FKF will select 16 girls and 16 boys to form an all-star team who will attend a 10-day training camp in Spain during which they will play friendly matches against top LaLiga youth sides.

“This year we have made a deliberate effort to ensure our trainers also benefit from the tournament through coaching clinics to be conducted in partnership with LaLiga as part of efforts to upskill local football coaches”, Said Sylvia Mulinge, Chief Customer Officer, Safaricom.

The tournament was first launched in 2017 with the aim of giving youth between the ages of 16-20 years a platform to showcase their talent and an opportunity to be rewarded from their passion. Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom has since grown to become a much sought-after event by local and international scouts as a source of talented footballers.