The Safaricom Chapa Dimba tournament continues its thrilling journey as it heads to Siaya and Kisii counties for the Nyanza County finals this weekend.
On Saturday, Siaya County will set the stage for an electrifying opening match between Jera Girls from Ugenya and VSA Girls from Gem at Siaya KMTC Grounds.
In the afternoon, Ambira Mobimba Secondary School from Ugunja will take on St. Peter’s Wagai Mixed Secondary School from Gem.
On Sunday, Kisii Queens will face off against Kenyenya’s Moteiribe FC while Small Simba will go head-to-head with their rivals Ichuni FC at Sameta Grounds, Kisii County.
“I am impressed by the talent I have seen since Safaricom Chapa Dimba was launched at the grassroots level in Siaya County. We hope to see more such tournaments to cultivate the growth of football in our country to a level where we can export talent like our counterparts do in West Africa. Our focus is not only to represent Siaya County at the regional finals but also at the national level,” said Jerry Opondo, head coach of the Ambira Mobimba team.
The winning teams in both the boys’ and girls’ categories will each take home KES 75,000 and the runners-up will each take home KES 30,000.
Additionally, outstanding players will also be recognized. The top scorers and Best Goalkeepers from both the boys’ and girls’ teams will each receive KES 10,000.
The Most Valuable Players (MVP) will also take home KES 10,000 plus an additional TVET scholarship to pursue a course of their choice, courtesy of Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations.
The other Nyanza County finals (Homa Bay, Migori, Kisumu and Nyamira) are set to be played in the coming weekends before culminating into the intercounty play-offs.
The Inter-County winners (four boys and four girls teams) will then proceed to the regional finals set for September 30th and October 1st, 2023. A total of 530 teams, including 412 Boys’ teams and 118 Girls’ teams, featured in the Nyanza region grassroots games played from the ward level.
The Nyanza County finals come hot on the heels of the Western Region finals which saw Brenda Girls from Bungoma and Ebwali Boys from Vihiga secure their slots to the national finals scheduled for February 2024.