Safaricom Chapa Dimba: Twelve teams gear up for showdown at the county finals in Bungoma, Busia and Kakamega
Safaricom Chapa Dimba tournament heads to Bungoma, Busia and Kakamega counties this weekend for the Western region county finals.
Twelve teams from the three counties are expected to battle it out, with the winning teams joining Vihiga County qualifiers Madira Soccer Assassins and Ebwali Boys to play in the regional finals scheduled for the 26th and 27th of August at Bukhungu Stadium.
The Bungoma County finals are scheduled to take place on Friday 11th August at the Pan Paper Grounds in Webuye, with Sirare Youth taking on Compel Sportiff FC in the Boys’ Category. In the Girls’ category, Brenda Girls from Webuye will be looking to secure a slot in the regional finals against Kim Girls from Mt. Elgon.
“First, I want to thank Safaricom for coming up with this amazing football tournament aimed at tapping new talents from the grassroots. It is through such tournaments that we have gotten the likes of Wanyama, Mariga and Olunga. My team played well right from the ward level and remains undefeated in all the games we’ve played since the tournament started. We are hopeful of winning another victory in order to represent Bungoma county in the regional and national finals,” said Dickson Simiyu, Coach of Brenda Girls.
In Busia County, football fans will watch as Kingandole Queens from Butula Constituency take on Chakol Girls from Teso South in the Girls’ category. In the Boys’ category, John Osogo from Budalangi will be looking to bag a slot in the Western Region finals by winning against their archrivals Teens of Hope FC from Nambale Constituency on Saturday at Otimong Primary Grounds.
Meanwhile, in Kakamega, football fans will be treated to a thrilling tournament on Sunday when the finalists Lugusi Boys from Shinyalu come head-to-head against The Menace FC at Kakamega High School Grounds. Lugari Progressive from Lugari Constituency will face their archrivals Kakamega Starlets in the Girls’ Category. See below summary.
The three county finals come barely a week after Vihiga County hosted the first Safaricom Chapa Dimba County finals.
“So far, the tournament has recorded a great turn out right from the ward level. We are now ready and geared up for the county finals. We are happy that this time round we have awards for all teams that qualify for county finals, as it has really motivated more teams and players to participate,” said Ali Mustafa – FKF tournament co-ordinator, Busia County
The winners from both the boys’ and girls’ teams, and from every county will take home KES 75,000, with runners-up taking home KES 30,000. The top scorers and Most Valuable Players (Golden Ball) from both the boys’ and girls’ teams will each receive KES 10,000, with the Best Goalkeeper also taking home a similar amount. In addition, a total of 150 players – Best Boy and Girl players – from every county and the winning Girls’ and Boys’ team at the National Final will receive TVET scholarships courtesy of the Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations.
This year’s Safaricom Chapa Dimba saw a total of 441 teams from the Western Region register to participate in the tournament, which kicked off on 8th July at the ward and sub-county levels. Among the four counties, Kakamega had the highest number of teams with 162, followed by Bungoma (152), Busia (64), and Vihiga (63).
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 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 finals across the eight regions.
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