Action from a past Chapa Dimba na Safaricom tournament
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 6 – Makueni’s Ngakaa Talent will start their campaign to earn a second Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom regional girls title with a tie against Chuka University on Saturday when the Eastern Region finals are held at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos.
Ngakaa won the first edition of the annual youth tournament in 2018 and with last year’s winners St. Mary’s School Ndovea already out, they have their hopes high of a second crown.
The girls from Makueni will play the second semi final which will be preceded by a tie between Isiolo Queens and Mabuu Queens from Moyale.
Ngakaa coach Boniface Ndambuki believes his girls will not only work to win a second crown, but also offer themselves to potential scouts who have always graced the championship seeking to harvest raw talent.
“Various stakeholders from the football scene converge at this competition, increasing the chances of players getting scouted to play for top clubs and the national team like we have seen with Harambee starlets,” said Ndambuki.
Meanwhile, there will also be a new boys champion crowned with last year’s winner Supersolico having been eliminated at the preliminary rounds, same as St. Mary’s.
Tumaini School from Makueni will face Moyale’s Biashara FC in the first boys’ semi while Black Panthers from Meru Central take on St. Daniels from Chuka in the last semi final of the day.
Action from a past Chapa Dimba na Safaricom tournament
The three-day regional final will kick off with players’ life skills and mentorship clinics on Friday followed by the semis and finals on Saturday and Sunday respectively. The winners will walk away with Sh200,000 with the losing finalists pocketing Sh100,000.
North Eastern’s Berlin FC from Garissa and Coast region’s Yanga FC from Malindi and Kwale Ladies are among the teams that have already qualified for the national finals where the winners will get Sh1mn.
Other teams that have booked their tickets to the national finals include Central region’s Falling Waters from Laikipia and Ulinzi Youth from Nanyuki.
This season, two coaching and scouting clinics by certified La Liga coaches have been included in the tournament. The first one was held in Mombasa in December 2019 and the next clinic is set for 22nd -23rd February in Nairobi.
32 boys and girls will this season be selected after the regional finals to form an all-star team that will attend a 10-day training camp in Spain during which they will play friendlies against top Spanish La Liga football academies.
