* The event provides the young talents a platform to learn football and develop social skills use the game as a vehicle for the young minds’ empowerment
* This years edition will be celebrated under the theme, ‘Protect Your Goal, Say NO to Drugs’
By Duncan Mlanjira
The 3rd edition of Malawi Soccer Festival — that seeks to unearth talent from the grassroots targeting Under-15 boys and girls — is set for December 6 at Mzuzu Stadium, pitting eight primary schools drawn from Mzuzu and Mzimba North.
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Organised by Malawi Grassroots Soccer Development Foundation (MGSDF), in conjuction with Malawi Schools Sports Association (MASSA), the day-long festival, provides the young talents a platform to learn football and develop social skills. use the Beautiful Game as a vehicle for the young minds’ empowerment
The festivals, to be celebrated under the theme, ‘Protect Your Goal, Say NO to Drugs, will be sponsored by Malawi Gaming & Lotteries Authority (MAGLA) and Vortnet Ltd.
The participating primary school teams are Zombwe, Kaviwale, Ching’ambo and Chibavi (U15 girls); St Michael (Ekwendeni, Mzimba North), Ekwendeni CCAP (Mzimba North), Katoto (Mzuzu City), St. Augustine (Mzuzu City).
Malawi Grassroots Soccer Development Foundation was founded by Canada-based Malawian football administrator, Willy Yabanya Phiri, alongside a team of seasoned football development enthusiasts — drawn from diverse backgrounds but united at the umbilical cord of passion for the game.
Yabwanya Phiri, who is former sponsor for TNM Super League side, Karonga United, said: “The long term objective of the Foundation is to be the focal point of grassroots football development in Malawi, and contribute to the grooming of talent for the country’s national teams and elite clubs in Europe within the next 10 years.
“We also need to create a career pathway for players, and that is why we are also registered in Canada to align ourselves with academies that can have interest in our talent,” he said.
MGSDF is a non-profit making organisation duly registered in Malawi and Canada, whose objectives include giving primary school children, including the marginalised, a platform to showcase their football skills and using football to combat child labour, drug & substance abuse, teen-age marriages, HIV/Aids & STI, school-dropout, violence and exploitation.
It also aims at developing technical and entrepreneurial skills and capacity-building as well as creating stakeholder partnerships and collaborations — taking cognizance that Malawi’s football focus has always been on established structures of junior football, second tier leagues and the elite Super League, leaving out the grassroots primary school level.
Willy Yabanya Phiri
Thus Yabwanya Phiri and his fellow founders decided to take the path less trodden and to include the marginalised children such as the physically challenged and mentally challenged children.
“MGSDF is here to complement football development efforts of the Ministry of Sports, Malawi National Council of Sports, Football Association of Malawi (FAM), MASSA, National Coaches Association, National Referees Association, regional leagues and the Super League of Malawi (SULOM),” says the founder.
“The Foundation works to fill gaps; forge strategic partnerships with local and international stakeholders; impart football knowledge and life skills on the boy and girl child — thereby ensuring the development of the entire human being through life and survival skills using education and sports as the vehicle.”
Corporate companies and individuals interested to partner MGSDF for the Malawi Soccer Festival are encouraged to visit the Foundation’s website: www.grassrootssoccermw.com or call the coordinator, Donnex Chilonga on: +265 0999 371 020.
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