Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom was launched to spot and develop talent across the country. [Photo/Chapa Dimba]
Eight teams participated in the Rift Regional finals of the Chapa Dimba na Safaricom youth tournament held on Saturday in Narok.
Kapenguria Heroes (West Pokot) and Nakuru AllStars (Nakuru) boys qualified for finals after beating Kapsoit FC (Kericho) and Mwiruti Secondary (Uasin Gishu) boys respectively in the Semi-finals played Saturday at Narok Stadium.
Kapenguria Heroes scored 5:0 goals against Kapsoit FC as Nakuru AllStars managed 3:2 defeat against rival Mwiruti Secondary in a do or die match. The two winning teams will meet on Sunday in the finals.
On the girls’ category, Tar Tar of West Pokot will face Iten United tomorrow in the finals after qualifying in the semis. Tar Tar scored 11:0 against LYSA (Naivasha) as Iten United Ladies of Bomet won 7:1 against Chesoen Sisters.
This follows series of regional games played in North, Central, South, Eastern and North Western Rift. Over 1,500 teams participated in the Rift Region games which began with the group stages on 9th September 2017.
“Chapa Dimba has brought greater impact to the players by providing an opportunity to showcase and to nurture their talents. Also, it has strengthened the teams. We are ready and promise to win the regional finals”, said Sammy Kipyegon Chebore, Coach of Iten United Ladies – Keiyo sub-branch and North Rift girls’ champions.
“We are happy to get to this leg of the tournament and wish all the boys and girls well as they prepare to contest for Rift region supremacy. Already, we have seen promising talent with one of the players, Oscar Kenga being called for national duty in the National under 20 team,” said Football Kenya Federation President Nick Mwendwa.
“We remain committed to endeavors that shape and determine the future of our next generation. We are very proud of this partnership with FKF that is helping uncover talented football players from all over the country. We wish all the participating teams the best of luck as they embark on this exciting journey of transformation We know there are many more players out there especially at the grassroots level who only need a platform to showcase their skills and Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom is providing that platform,” said Sylvia Mulinge, Director -Consumer Business.
At the grand finale, the winning teams will walk away with Sh1 million each and an opportunity to go for an international training and mentorship camp in London in April 2018.
Safaricom has invested Sh100 million towards the program which includes Sh10m worth of prizes as well as funds for the renovation of select community pitches through a legacy programme.