Bandari Youth and Changamwe Ladies both from Mombasa County are the winners of the Coast region’s fourth edition of Safaricom Chapa Dimba.
Bandari Youth and Changamwe Ladies each pocketed Sh250, 000 cash prices.
The runners-up, The Young Gunners and Bulls Starlets also took home Sh150, 000 each. The Most Valuable Player (MVP), Best Goalkeeper, and Top Scorer (boys and girls) each received Sh30, 000 cash awards.
In addition to the grand prizes, each player from the winning team took home a Neon Ultra smartphone, as the runners-up players each took home a Neon Smarter phone.
Buoyed by home fans at the Mbaraki Sports Club, Bandari Youth won in the finals against the Young Gunners from Tana River 3-0 through a hat trick from Khamis Nyale to emerge the new regional champions.
Nyale not only led his team to victory but also earned the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Top Scorer awards in the boys’ category due to his outstanding performance in the two-day tournament.
Meanwhile, Changamwe Ladies secured their second regional Safaricom Chapa Dimba title by defeating Kilifi’s Bulls Starlets 3-0.
The home team, Changamwe Ladies, took the lead in the 15th minute through a header by Mercy Ouma after a wonderful corner cross from Margaret Nafula. In the 24th minute, Margaret Nafula doubled the lead to make it 2-0 by the end of the first half.
Fidelia Atieno further sunk Bulls Starlets’ hopes with a superb strike in the 90th minute, just before the final whistle to close it at 3-0.
Bandari Youth Coach Alex Shikanda extolled Safaricom for its unwavering commitment to supporting and nurturing talents in the country.
“We are thrilled with our victory and being crowned the Coast region champions. Undoubtedly, it was a tense and tough game as our opponents were also strong. After today’s win, our focus now shifts to the national finals, which are just around the corner,” said Coach Shikanda.
He urged fans not to relent on their support as they advance to the national finals comprising teams from all the regions.
Bandari Youth and Changamwe Ladies qualified for the regional finals after beating their challengers in Saturday’s semi-finals, Bahati Juniors from Taita Taveta, 1-0 and Ukunda Starlets from Kwale 4-1, respectively.
The Young Gunners and Bulls Starlets had made it to the finals after also edging out King Loyal 4-2 on penalties and Wenje Secondary School 7-0 respectively in their semi-final games.
The tournament 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 tournament targets footballers aged between 16 and 20 years old.
By Sadik Hassan
