Author: Maimisa Josphat
The Memorandum of Understanding between ZANACO and the Ministry of Education to stage the annual ZANACO Grassroots Under-17 Football Tournament for girls and boys is a progressive and visionary milestone. It demonstrates a shared commitment to investing in Zambia’s football future by identifying, nurturing, and developing young talent through the school system.
The Zambia Schools Sports Association (ZASSA), operating under the Ministry of Education, remains the ideal conduit for this initiative. Through its well-established structures—from the school level to district, provincial, and national competitions—ZASSA provides a transparent pathway for talent identification and player progression.
Without question, this initiative carries immense potential to reverse the gradual decline in Zambia’s football fortunes. It provides hope that tomorrow’s national team stars can emerge from ordinary classrooms and school playgrounds across the country.
Equally commendable is the attractive prize money attached to the tournament. The financial incentives are not merely rewards for winning; they are strategic investments in grassroots football development. The prize funds provide participating schools with an opportunity to motivate players, strengthen training programmes, acquire essential training equipment, and improve preparations for subsequent competitions. When prudently managed, the rewards become a catalyst for sustained football development rather than a one-off celebration of success. However, the pursuit of prize money should never overshadow the tournament’s principal objective of discovering and nurturing genuine grassroots talent. The true success of the competition should ultimately be measured not only by the trophies lifted or cheques awarded, but by the number of future national team players unearthed through a fair, transparent, and credible talent identification process.
However, as the tournament celebrates its second edition following its successful inauguration in 2025, several critical issues require urgent attention if the competition is to truly embody the meaning and purpose of grassroots football.
The greatest concern is the erosion of the grassroots concept through age irregularities and unequal levels of player exposure. The desire by some teams to win prize money has, unfortunately, shifted the tournament’s focus from talent discovery to fierce competition. Instead of showcasing genuine grassroots players, some schools increasingly field young elite footballers whose exposure already exceeds the very definition of grassroots football.
This practice undermines the tournament’s original purpose.
To preserve the integrity of the competition, sponsors and organizers must introduce clearly defined and uncompromising age verification measures. Every participating player’s age should be traceable through authentic school enrolment records from the point of entry into the education system. Such a system would significantly reduce age manipulation while restoring confidence in the competition.
Equally important is the question of player exposure.
Young footballers who are genuinely age-eligible but have already played in the Zambian Premier League, represented elite academies, or featured for Zambia’s junior national teams should graduate from this competition. Their continued development should be safeguarded through a comprehensive national talent database, allowing them to receive advanced nurturing without competing against emerging grassroots players.
This approach would create opportunities for discovering fresh talent every year instead of repeatedly selecting players who are already established within elite football structures.
Allowing highly exposed players to dominate a grassroots competition weakens its vitality and distorts its conceptual framework. In many cases, these players are already contracted to established academies and clubs, making it practically impossible for ZANACO to recruit or further develop them. Consequently, the tournament risks becoming a showcase of already-discovered talent rather than a platform for uncovering new football gems.
The ZANACO Grassroots Football Tournament must remain a stage for authentic raw talent drawn directly from schools. It should operate within a formalized and systematized framework that prioritizes both correct age and appropriate exposure levels. Only then will the tournament fulfil its noble mission of expanding Zambia’s football talent pool rather than recycling existing players.
Such a framework would enable both ZANACO and the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) to identify, monitor, and nurture emerging talent through a structured national database that supports continuous player progression.
The vision should not end with ZANACO alone.
Other corporate institutions such as NAPSA, Zamtel, Airtel, and other socially responsible partners should join this national movement by sponsoring additional grassroots age categories. A coordinated annual football calendar could be structured as follows:
- Term One: Under-15 Tournament.
- Term Two: Under-17 Tournament under the ZANACO Grassroots initiative.
- Term Three: Under-13 Tournament.
The Under-13 category would fit perfectly within the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), as it presents minimal conflict with national examination schedules while introducing children to structured football development at an earlier stage.
Maintaining active Under-13, Under-15, and Under-17 competitions would create a seamless player development pathway. Talent could be systematically tracked through a centralized database, enabling schools, community academies, ZANACO, corporate sponsors, and the Football Association of Zambia to monitor player growth, progression, and transition into higher levels of the game.
Beyond competitions, community football academies should establish formal partnerships with neighbouring schools. Such collaboration would harmonize training schedules with academic programmes, ensuring that football complements education rather than competes with it. This integrated approach would strengthen talent development while reducing absenteeism, improving school attendance, and minimizing learner dropout rates.
Grassroots football is not merely about crowning champions. It is about discovering hidden talent, creating equal opportunities, and building a sustainable future for Zambian football.
If Zambia is to reclaim its place among Africa’s football powerhouses, the foundation must be protected. Correct age verification, balanced player exposure, structured talent progression, responsible utilization of prize incentives, and strong collaboration between schools, academies, corporate sponsors, and FAZ are no longer optional—they are indispensable.
The future of Zambian football will not be built solely in elite academies or premier league stadiums. It will be built on dusty school grounds, rural playing fields, and in classrooms where undiscovered dreams patiently await a genuine opportunity.
The ZANACO Grassroots Under-17 Football Tournament has already ignited that hope. The next step is to protect its true purpose—because grassroots football should always be about discovering tomorrow’s stars, not showcasing yesterday’s discoveries. By safeguarding the integrity of this initiative today, Zambia will be investing not only in winning future trophies but in building a football legacy that generations to come will proudly inherit.This merged version reads like a polished newspaper opinion piece or sports editorial, balancing praise with constructive recommendations while maintaining a persuasive, journalistic, and advocacy-driven tone.
