The Safaricom Chapa Dimba football tournament is set to hold the first county finals in Vihiga County this weekend.
Finalists Ebwali Boys and Bunyore Assassins will lock horns in the Boys Category. At the same time, Madira Girls will go head-to-head with the Maroon Queens on Saturday at Mumboha Stadium in Luanda.
“We are glad to be back on the pitch and look forward to discovering new talent during this fourth season of Safaricom Chapa Dimba. Launching the county finals in the Western region was a given because of the interest shown going by the number of teams that registered to participate, almost triple the number from the third season. When many young people hope for a football career, it is only natural that we give them a platform to explore their talent,” Said Chris Amimo, FKF Tournament Director.
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The Vihiga finals will be followed by Busia, Kakamega and Bungoma County finals the following weekend on the 12th and 13th of August. County winners will play at the Western regional finals, to be held in the historic Bukhungu Stadium later in the month. The Western region started at the ward level in June, featuring 441 teams. Among the four counties, Kakamega had the highest number of units, with 162, followed by Bungoma (152), Busia (64), and Vihiga (63).
“We started at the ward and sub-county levels. As we now proceed to the county finals in anticipation of the regional finals, I can attest that the talent at the grassroots level is remarkable. After Western, we move to the Nyanza region and spread out to other regions nationwide. We continue to scout some of the best talents from these grassroots games, giving them a chance even if their teams do not make it to the regional and national finals,”
Said Mr Amimo.
Safaricom Chapa Dimba aims to provide a structured platform for scouts and coaches to tap into new talent, build feeder systems for the Kenyan football leagues nationwide, and train 250 coaches. The football tournament targets young people aged between 16 and 20 years old.
Registration is currently ongoing across different regions in the country. The group stages will be played at the grassroots level, with successful teams qualifying for the regional finals across the eight areas. For more information on how to register and/or get match fixtures, visit: https://chapadimba.safaricom.co.ke/matches/
