As Safaricom Chapa Dimba matches on, the tournaments are now headed to Siaya and Kisii this weekend for the Nyanza finals. This coming Saturday, Siaya KMTC Grounds will play host to what promises to be a thrilling match between Jera Girls from Ugenya and VSA Girls from Gem. The afternoon belongs to the boys’ teams, with Ambira Mobimba Secondary School from Ugunja taking on St. Peters Wagai Mixed Secondary School from Gem.
On Sunday, Kisii Queens will face off against Kenyenya’s Moteiribe FC while Small Simba will go head-to-head with their rivals Ichuni FC at Sameta Grounds, Kisii County.
“I am impressed by the talent I have seen since Safaricom Chapa Dimba was launched at the grassroots level in Siaya County. We hope to see more of such tournaments to cultivate the growth of football in our country to a level where we can export talent like our counterparts do in West Africa. Our focus is to not only represent Siaya County at the regional finals but also at the national level,” said Jerry Opondo, head coach of Ambira Mobimba team.
In each of the boys’ and girls’ categories, the victorious teams will be awarded a prize of KES 75,000, while the second-place teams will receive KES 30,000. Moreover, exceptional players will be acknowledged as well. The leading goal-scorers and the Best Goalkeepers from both the boys’ and girls’ squads will individually be granted KES 10,000. The Most Valuable Players (MVP) will also be presented with KES 10,000, along with an additional scholarship for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to pursue a course of their preference, generously provided by Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations.
The remaining Nyanza County finals in Homa Bay, Migori, Kisumu, and Nyamira are scheduled for the upcoming weekends before converging into the inter-county playoffs. The victorious teams at the Inter-County level, comprising four boys’ and four girls’ teams, will advance to the regional finals taking place on September 30th and October 1st, 2023. In the Nyanza region grassroots games, a total of 517 teams participated, with 354 boys’ teams and 163 girls’ teams competing from the ward level.
The Nyanza County finals come hot on the heel of the Western Region finals which saw Brenda Girls from Bungoma and Ebwali Boys from Vihiga secure their slots to the national finals scheduled for February 2024.
Registration for the tournament is currently ongoing in other regions in the country. For more information on how to register and/or get match fixtures, visit the Chapa Dimba site.