The teams will battle it out in the semifinals on Saturday, where two winners in each category will proceed to the finals set to be played on Sunday.
Image: Safaricom
It's the penultimate stage of the The Chapa Dimba na Safaricom Youth Tournament in the Eastern Region as the finals are set to be played on Saturday, March 9, and Sunday, March 10, 2019, at the Kitui Showgrounds in Kitui county.
Eight teams including four girls’ teams (Karugwa Girls’ from Meru Central, Chuka Starlets from Meru South, Sakuu Queens from Marsabit and St. Mary’s Ndovea from Makueni) as well four Boys’ teams (Isiolo Young Stars from Isiolo, Triumph from Embu, Super Solico from Mwingi and Samba from Moyale) had each emerged champions in their respective sub-branches and made it to the regional finals.
Interestingly, the region’s defending champions, Mwingi Junior Academy and Ngakaa Talent Center, failed to qualify for regional finals. This means that there will be a new champion to be crowned on Sunday.
The teams will thus battle it out in the semifinals on Saturday, where two winners in each category will proceed to the finals set to be played on Sunday.
Girls Semifinals:Sakuu Queens vs St. Mary’s Ndovea (Saturday, 8 am)Karugwa Girls vs Chuka Starlets (Saturday, 12 pm)
Boys Semifinals:Super Solico vs Samba (Saturday, 10 am)Isiolo Young Stars vs Triumph (Saturday, 2 pm)
The overall winners in the region will take home KES 200,000 each. They will also qualify for the national finals in which the champions in both girls and boys categories will each walk away with KES 1 Million. The runners- up will also pocket KES 100,000 each.
Talented players, both boys, and girls will also be scouted and will be drafted in an all-star team that will enjoy a training camp in Spain during which they will play against local youth sides. The competition aims at scouting for youth talent, developing grassroots football, and ultimately propel gifted players to the national team.
So far, Western region’s Bishop Njenga Girls and Lugari Blue Saints as well as Manyatta Boys and Ndhiwa Queens from Nyanza have qualified for the national finals after winning their respective regional titles.
After Eastern, the tournament will move to Rift Valley, Coast, Central, North Eastern and Nairobi regions as the race to La Liga heats up.