Excitement ahead of Nyanza Safaricom Chapa Dimba finals

The two-day sporting extravaganza will see eight teams (four boys’ teams and four girls’ teams) from the six counties of the Nyanza region - Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, Homa Bay, Kisii and Nyamira - that qualified from the regional inter-county playoffs held last weekend battle it out for the regional title and a slot at the national championships.

As part of preparation, the coaches and players who will take part in the showpiece have benefitted from a clinic which was held on Friday at Moi Stadium Kisumu to familiarize themselves on the rules and the regulation of the game.

Speaking to Citizen Digital, Siaya champions Victoria Sports Academy head coach Denis Ong’weno said they have benefited a lot from the clinic and he hailed Safaricom Chapa Dimba for introducing the tournament.

“We have had a very productive day today in the clinic, and at least it has assisted us coaches and players’ lot. I’m congratulating Safaricom for making this happen and I believe we shall have a very fruitful tournament.

I don’t know much about my opponents but I’m urging my players to work hard and clinch the title. Our aim is to qualify for the National title and win. I believe with focus and seriousness we shall achieve that.”

His words were echoed by St. Peters Ogai tactician Niholas Amwene who urged the fans to come out in large numbers to witness the talents.

“It has been a very nice clinic. At least players have learnt about tournament rules and how to live a good life. Tomorrow we are playing the semifinals and I’m urging fans to come at large to support their respective teams.”

Saturday’s semi-final fixtures will kick off with girls’ action between Ageng'a Girls from Migori County and Victoria Sports Academy from Siaya. The second match will be Awendo Academy facing off against St. Peter's Wagai in a boy’s semifinal.

In the third match, Plateau Queens from Nyakach, overall winners in the inaugural Chapa Dimba and currently the reigning Nyanza regional champions, will be aiming for nothing less than defending their title as they face off against Kisii Queens from Kisii County.

The climax of Saturday’s action will witness prolific striker Duncan Omala leading Obunga FC, the recently crowned Kisumu Champions, as they go head-to-head with Nyaguku FC from Nyamira County.

"Chapa Dimba is one of the tournaments that we cannot afford to miss out on as it has been instrumental in showcasing the talents within our school. Some of our former players have gone on to participate in both local and international leagues.

"As the reigning regional and first national champions in the girls’ category, our sole aim for this weekend's matches is to retain our title. We have maintained an unbeaten record since the tournament's inception at the sub-county level, including the inter-county playoffs," said Chrispine Odindo, the Coach of Plateau Queens.

Teams that emerge victorious in Saturday’s semi-finals will proceed to the finals on Sunday, 1st October, where each winning team (boys and girls) will take home KES. 250,000 and book a slot to represent Nyanza region at the national finals set for early next year in Nairobi. 

They will join Ebwali Boys and Brenda Girls from the Western region who have already booked their tickets to the national finals.

The runners-up teams will take home KES. 150,000 each. The Best Goalkeeper and Top Scorer (boys and girls) will each receive KES. 30,000. The Most Valuable Player (Golden Ball) will also receive KES. 30,000 and an additional TVET scholarship from Safaricom Foundation.

Amy Marie Aluoch, Cluster trade and business development lead at Safaricom urged the fans to come at large to watch the talents as they will benefit from many services from Safaricom.

“We have seen people coming to engage in other activities we have brought along with us over the Chapa Dimba season, we have seen community engagements and we have gone a step ahead to provide healthcare, medical camps that we saw really bring a lot of people to Kisumu. Apart from the medical camp which was free, we have digital literacy lessons and they are just for the youth and we are encouraging them to come for digital literacy lessons.”

Safaricom Chapa Dimba Nyanza region featured a total of 530 teams, 412 Boys’ teams and 118 Girls’ teams, that participated in the tournament from the ward level.

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.