Every once in a while in my line of work, I come across programs that warm their way right into my heart. One of these is Safaricom Chapa Dimba which is currently headed towards the end of its fourth phase, with the North Eastern Reginal Finals having taken place in Garissa over the weekend. From here we have Central Kenya, Nairobi, and finally the National Finals in April.
I’ve been honoured to be part of all the phases, and it gives me great pleasure to work with young people and to learn how disciplined arts and sports positively impact their lives – present and future.
Sports is one among the best things that parents and guardians can get their children into to set them up for success in all areas of their lives. The focus and discipline associated with football for instance shapes them up for healthy mental and emotional mindsets. Being involved in sports and especially competitive ones gives them a sense of purpose and something to always look forward to. These factors play a huge role in navigating not only their childhoods, but also adulthood as they grow up.
For Chapa Dimba, there are also monetary gains for teams and top players, money which goes towards their education and further development of the game.
I’ve been trailing Safaricom Chapa Dimba through all its phases and I’ve come to appreciate the benefits of the tournaments, outside of the sport itself. Sport intertwines effortlessly with life and players get to learn life skills even without necessarily knowing that this is happening.
Here are some of the benefits that kids get directly from playing football.
Focus
Football is a game of mental focus and strategy. For a player to take the best shots, they need to be able to narrow their thoughts into that one moment and keep distractions at bay. For players young and old, learning this kind of sharp purposeful focus early gives them an edge even in their school and home lives.
Time Management
Football is a time specific game. It is itself a timed sport capping at 90 minutes in which players have to give their best. Since it is a group sport, players have to keep time for practice meetings and for competitive tournaments. Through this, the players learn healthy time keeping habits from a young age and as we all know, time management is particularly crucial both for personal and professional lives.
Fostering friendships
Sports are mostly team based, with members working towards a common goal. Through meetings and practice, travel, and tournaments players get to foster lasting friendships which are important for their social and emotional growth.
Negative emotions
Games and especially tournaments do not always go as anticipated or hoped for, and players often have to deal with disappointment in their performances. Football shapes players’ emotionally and equips them with the resilience and patience needed to take on whatever life throws at them even outside of sports.
Mental wellbeing
Any outdoor sport is a great break from the drudgery of everyday life. For young players like those in Chapa Dimba, it’s a good break from school, homework, and home life since being out and active is a proven measure to decrease stress. This is great for mental health. Being actively involved in sports keeps young ones away from the idleness that could often lead to their trying out vices that could lead them astray in life.
As much as these points capture the all-round benefits pretty well, there is a lot more nuance in sports. The clear bottom line is that footballers and sports people in general are and have always been onto something. It is great to see the huge impact that Safaricom Chapa Dimba brings to all their destinations, transforming the lives of not only players but fans and community members as well.
Safaricom Chapa Dimba aims to provide a structured platform for scouts and coaches to tap into new talent and build feeder systems for the Kenyan football leagues across the country while also training a total of 250 coaches. The tournament targets footballers aged between 16 and 20 years old.
Players aside, sports really brings communities together for fun times as fans come out to cheer their teams along.