Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
AS ZIFA look to start implementing the Women’s Football Strategy in a bid to resuscitate the female game, their staging of the CAF Girls Integrated Football Tournament could be the launchpad to that blueprint.
The second edition of the CAF GIFT Tournament which will feature Under-17 girls’ teams is scheduled for Norton’s Ngoni Stadium between December 8 and 18, 2025.
Eight clubs drawn from across the Southern African Region for this development initiative will be competing for top honours.
Mpopoma Sports Academy will be hosting Namibia’s Otjiwarongo Sports Academy, Luwinga Academy from Malawi, South Africa’s Mamelodi and Refilwe FC, Lusaka-based Aguila Stars, Okakarara Golden Ladies and Lesotho side Lishoeshoe.
This contest not only promises to showcase emerging talent, but also serves as a critical platform for promoting women’s football at a grassroots level.
“The growth and development initiative forms part of CAF’s expansive plans to grow women’s football in the continent by providing opportunities at all levels for players and coaches,” said COSAFA on their website.
This initiative aligns with ZIFA’s objectives of resuscitating the women’s game through the implementation of the recently launched strategy.
The strategy was scheduled to be rolled out between 2025 and 2028, focusing on growth from the grass-roots to elite levels through five pillars.
These pillars are promoting growing participation, showcasing the game’s image, striving for excellence, building strong foundations and establishing proper Women Football structures.
“We are happy to be selected, and the girls are in high spirits. We are working flat out not to disappoint the nation because obviously the support will be huge,” coach Evans Neta said.
The participation of the regional clubs will not only elevate the standard of play, but also inspire local communities to engage more actively in women’s sports.
And the mother-body is ordinarily expected to leverage the GIFT tournament and its potential to make significant strides in promoting women’s football in Zimbabwe.
By capitalising on the excitement and visibility of this event, ZIFA can attract attention from sponsors and other key stakeholders thereby creating room for the growth of the game.
MPOSA chairperson James Rugwevera expressed pleasure in taking part in the CAF U-17 GIFT, citing it as a perfect platform for players to showcase their talent and be spotted.
“We are happy with the honour because we believe in nurturing talent, hence aim to utilise this opportunity for visibility of the players,” he said.
MPOSA will open their campaign against Namibia’s Otjiwarongo Sports Academy.
Mapuwa leads Zim charge at Under-15 Schools tourney
While the Under-17 Girls feature in the GIFT Cup, their juniors, led by Legend Football Academy’s chief striker Winnie Mapuwa will be hoping to make a mark at the CAF Schools Under-15 competition which starts in Stellenbosch, South Africa today.
The draw for the CAF African Schools Football Championship, COSAFA Qualifier was held on Tuesday.
Hosts South Africa have dominated the Boys and the Girls competitions for the last three editions and will have home advantage this time round as they seek to make it four in a row.
The single draw covers both the Boys and Girls events, which will be played simultaneously in Stellenbosch. South Africa are the top seed in the four-team Group A and will take on Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique in their pool.
Zambia headline the three-team Group B and take on Eswatini and Comoros in their pool, while Malawi are top seeds in Group C and are drawn with Lesotho and Botswana.
Zimbabwe could not quite seal victory on home soil when they staged the 2023 edition but will be hoping to go all the way in the Boys and Girls competitions.
It will be the third time Zimbabwe enter the qualifiers, after they finished third on home soil in Harare in 2023 and were also competitive in Walvis Bay, Namibia in 2024.
The bronze medal in the Boys two years ago came as they defeated Namibia 1-0 in the third-place play-off.
They were undone in their search for gold with a 4-0 loss to Malawi in their opening match. After that they turned on the style to beat Botswana 4-1, Eswatini 3-1 and Mozambique 3-0, but it was not enough to get into the decider ahead of the Malawians.
There were some superb individual performances though, not least from El Shaddai Sadomba, who claimed the Golden Boot award with his six goals in four games.
It was more of a struggle for the girls’ side, as they beat Eswatini 5-1, but lost to Malawi (0-3), Botswana (0-1) and Mozambique (0-3) and were not in contention for the final.
But with Mapuwa having gained valuable experience from featuring for the Under-17 side in the COSAFA Cup last year, Zimbabwe will be looking to turn on the style this time.
