The Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) will welcome 15-teams from eight member associations in Tanzania from Friday 17 February to Sunday 19 February 2023 for the zonal qualifiers of the inaugural African Schools Football Championship.
The CECAFA zone will host the final zonal qualifying tournament designed for schools around the continent. The tournament has three phases: national, zonal and continental phase.
The participating schools will be competing for a ticket to the maiden continental CAF African Schools Football Championship tournament in April 2023.
Funtain Gate Dodoma Secondary will be representing hosts Tanzania in the girls’ category alongside Royal Giant High School (Uganda), El Hilla Al Jadida (Sudan), Kiramuruzi Modern Primary School (Rwanda), Awaro Secondary School (Ethiopia), CEM Baulous (Djibouti) and Burundi’s ECOFO Ruseno.
While in the boys’ category Benjamin William Mkapa High School will be flying Tanzanian flag with Amus College School (Uganda), Al Jeel Algenina (Sudan), Ecole Secondaire Sumba (Rwanda), Libya 1 Primary School (South Sudan), ECOFO Gasanda (Burundi), Geda Roble Secondary School (Ethiopia) and CEM Baulous (Djibouti) who were the first to arrive in the Tanzanian capital.
The winners of the CECAFA zonal qualifiers will receive USD 100,000, while the runners-up will take USD75,000 and bronze medalists USD 50, 000.
The African Schools Programme is a development project that focuses on schools’ football and organized through the African Schools Football Championship. The aim is to increase the social impact of football and empower participating countries to administer football through training programs.
On the sidelines of the tournament, there will be several workshops and training sessions on Safeguarding with other sessions focusing on Young Reporters, Refereeing and Coaching. The objective is to help the youngsters to have several options in football.
Meanwhile, Uganda’s representatives at the tournament Amus College and Royal Giant High School have expressed their readiness to make the country proud.
It should be noted that Amus College and Royal Giant High School emerged winners of the National Qualifiers in the girls and boys category respectively last year.
The National Championship organized by FUFA and held in July 2022 attracted 20 schools and each of the participating getting 20 balls.
