NAIROBI, Kenya, June 4 – Mombasa’s Shimanzi Youth has been paired with South B United from Nairobi in the highlight of the Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom Nationals quarter-final draw held on Tuesday.
A total of 15 teams will battle for the ultimate prize of Ksh1m when the three-day National Final will be hosted at Meru’s Kinoru Stadium from June 20-23.
In the other boys pairings, Lugari Blue Saints (Western) will clash with Super Solico (Eastern), Euronuts (Central) will square it out with Manyatta United (Nyanza) while Berlin FC (North Eastern) will be up against Al Ahly (Rift Valley).
In the corresponding girls competition, Acakoro Ladies (Nairobi) faces an acid test against Ndhiwa Queens (Nyanza), St. Mary’s Ndovea (Eastern) will lock horns with Barcelona Ladies (Central), Archbishop Njenga (Western) will play Kitale Queens (Rift Valley) while Changamwe Ladies (Coast) was handed a Bye to semi-finals by virtue of no girls team from North Eastern.
“The tournament is a perfect example of how football can be used to open doors for girls and boys from all backgrounds. We have already signed a number of these players in our National U20 and Premier League teams since the inaugural edition,” Football Kenya Federation boss Nick Mwendwa said.
The national final comes after a series of regional finals played across eight regions with over 1,600 teams taking part in the tournament that begun in October 2018 with group stages.
“We have had remarkable achievements with this tournament since the launch and ‘hongera’ to every single person who made this a reality. We have traversed the country, crisscrossing the eight regions of Kenya, promoting grassroots football and discovering raw untapped talent. We are just days away from getting our KES 1 million winning teams and we appreciate the competitive nature of the tournament,” Safaricom’s Head of Mt Kenya & Nairobi Regions, James Maitai stated.
The programme was started with an aim of promoting grassroot football and propelling gifted players into the national team.
This year, an All-star team was selected from the 8 regional finals and attended a training camp in Spain during which they played against local youth sides.
From the inaugural season, over fifteen young players joined the Kenya Premier League and the National Super League.
-Girls Draw-
Quarter Final 1: Acakoro Ladies (Nairobi) vs. NCOED (Nyanza)
Quarter Final 2: Changamwe Ladies (Coast) gets a Bye to Semis since there was no team from North Eastern.
Quarter Final 3: St. Mary’s.Ndovea (Eastern) vs. Barcelona Ladies (Central)
Quarter Final 4: Archbishop Njenga (Western) vs. Kitale Queens (Rift Valley)
-Boys Draw-
Quarter Final 1: Lugari Blue Saints (Western) vs. Super Solico (Eastern)
Quarter Final 2: Euronuts (Central) vs. Manyatta United (Nyanza)
Quarter Final 3: Berlin FC (North Eastern) vs. Al Ahly (Rift Valley)
Quarter Final 4: Shimanzi Youth (Coast) vs. South B United (Nairobi)