Peter Kanjere
History was made on December 9 2023 when Malawi Grassroots Soccer Development Foundation (MGSDF) hosted a Grassroots Soccer Festival in Lilongwe alongside the Malawi Schools Sports Association (MASSA).
MGSDF and MASSA hosted the daylong tournament as part of cementing their strategic partnership in grassroots soccer development.
The festival brought excitement among the selected participating primary school football teams for boys and girls in Lilongwe City.
The girls section attracted Bwemba Primary School, Namitete Primary School, Kamuzu Barracks and eventually champions Tsabango 1.
Tsabango thrashed Bwemba 5-1 in the final to win the championship for their section and walk away with a uniform prize from MGSDF. Mercy Wasi stole the show for Tsabango 1 after scoring a hat-trick in the final and finish as the tournament’s top scorer with four goals.
The boys’ category pooled Mgongonda Primary School, Kauma Primary School, Chiseka and eventual champions Chiseka Primary School.
The final game saw Chiseka seeing off Mgongonda 5-3 on post-match penalties after a one-all draw in regulation time.
Each match lasted 30 minutes comprising a half of 15 minutes. Winners of preliminary round games in both categories met in the final to decide the winners.
The losing finalists automatically took up positions two, just like those who suffered defeats in the preliminary stages were also ranked in their respective orders. Each champion received a uniform whereas the losers received a ball gift.
Speaking during prize presentation, MGSDF founder and CEO Mr Willy Yabwanya Phiri said he was thrilled to support grassroots football.
He said it was important to invest in grassroots football so as to groom the next generation of stars to replace the likes of Gabadinho Mhango, Tabitha, Temwa, Chawingas and Kinnah Phiri.
“We are here because of the collective dream that this Foundation believes in. It is a dream that stakeholders especially the Malawi Schools Sports Association (MASSA) shares with us because both off us realise and appreciate that there is strength and progress in collaborations,” Phiri said.
“We are here to help you launch your careers in football, to help inculcate in you life skills and emphasize the importance of education, to help you keep busy and away from drugs and alcohol abuse and immoral practices.”
He added: “You would agree with me that most sponsors and administrators rush to align themselves with established teams and stars but for us it is not about using football for selfish gains but about laying the Foundation for long lasting legacies that would live on even after our names are long forgotten on the surface of the earth.”
The Guest of Honour Deputy Director of Sports responsible for schools, Mary Waya, hailed MASSA and MGSDF for venturing into grassroots football and she encouraged the boys and girls to focus on education and keep away from immoral behaviour, abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Taking his turn, the Board Chairperson of MGSDF Justice Lovemore Chikopa, urged the participating teams to repay the foundation and MASSA for their investment in grassroots football by excelling in their careers into the elite levels.
“As indicated by previous speakers, a lot of money has been invested in this event and you cannot come one-by-one to say ‘thank you.’ The best way you can show your appreciation to the sponsor and the organizer of this event is by using this festival to launch your football careers and making it big,” Justice Chikopa said.
MASSA President Mr Blackson Malamula also described their partnership with MGSDF as the beginning of good things to come, saying they were excited to work in grassroots football. The two bodies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cement their working relationship.
The festival attracted other high-profile guests such as Football Association of Malawi Executive Committee member Chimango Munthali and Northern Region Football Association Chairperson Lameck Khonje.