Author: Maimisa Josphat
School football has long stood as the foundation upon which talent is discovered, nurtured, and transformed into excellence. It remains the most reliable gateway through which countless young players begin their journey toward professional football while simultaneously pursuing academic success.
My active involvement in school football dates back to 2016, when I formally began coaching girls’ football in Chilanga District while serving as a Physical Education and Sport teacher at Mt Makulu Secondary School. The remarkable potential displayed by the learners I coached inspired me to establish Progress Sport Club, a platform created to sustain, nurture, and advance the talent identified within the school system beyond the classroom.
The Zambia Schools Sports Association (ZASSA) Lusaka Province recognised my coaching abilities and entrusted me with the Under-13 Girls Provincial Team. My first national assignment came in Solwezi, where the team emerged as National Champions. That success was not an isolated achievement. We successfully defended the championship in Mongu before completing an extraordinary hat-trick of national titles in Chipata. In 2022, I was further entrusted with leading the Under-17 Girls Provincial Team to Kitwe, where we once again lifted the national championship trophy.
School football does more than organise competitions; it creates measurable performance data, builds player profiles, and provides an authentic platform for identifying future stars. It is the laboratory where talent is tested, refined, and prepared for greater opportunities.
Through this remarkable journey, I have had the privilege of witnessing the emergence of exceptional footballers whose first meaningful footsteps were taken on school pitches. Among them are Evelyn Susan Katongo, Natasha Nanyangwe, Pumulo Lubasi, Eneless Phiri, Tionge Sambo, Justina Zulu, Suwilanji Chibesa, Precious Phiri, Tefeoga Munene, Tamara Mtonga, Salia Mwanza, Cindy Banda, Margaret Phiri, Masela Sekeseke, Towera Nkhata, Bupe Chongo, Nandipa Mkomba, Margaret Chilekwa, Constance Kamusu, Salome Phiri, Esther Simpamba, Agness Zulu, Blessing Zangose Zulu, Esther Kahyatha, Bertha Imponene, Ruth Ngoma, Mary Chisowa, Agness Ondya, Agness Zulu, and Jane Ngulube.
These young women began their football journeys at a time when girls’ football had not yet attained the popularity and recognition it enjoys today. Their courage, sacrifice, resilience, and unwavering commitment distinguish them as a golden generation whose legacy deserves perpetual celebration in the history of ZASSA Lusaka Province. Their success today is a living testimony that the predictions once made about their potential have now been authenticated by their presence in elite football leagues.
They remain enduring symbols of what becomes possible when school football, supportive parents, dedicated teachers, committed coaches, and progressive football clubs unite around a common vision. Their stories affirm that education and football are not competing priorities but complementary forces that shape responsible citizens and accomplished athletes.
Today, another inspiring chapter is unfolding.
The current generation continues to validate the transformative power of school football. Coaching the Under-17 Girls Provincial Team has afforded me the privilege of witnessing the rise of another exciting crop of talented young players who are steadily writing their own football stories through the school football pathway. Among them are Grace Mubanga, Loveness Daka, Pervis Kangalangala, Belita Chinyama, Idah Chipwalu, Veronica Phiri, Ruth Manda, Blessing Moonga, Dorothy Muyatwa, Bertha Phiri, Jane Chirwa, Josephine Nkandu, Winfridah Mutale, and Gift Chisha.
Their technical quality, discipline, determination, and competitive spirit leave little room for doubt that they possess the potential to excel at the highest levels of the game. They represent the future of Zambian women’s football, and their journey has only just begun.
Beyond producing footballers, school football serves a far greater national purpose. It keeps girls in school, inspires academic commitment, and offers hope where vulnerability often prevails. It provides a powerful shield against teenage pregnancy, early marriages, drug and substance abuse, and other social challenges that threaten the aspirations of young girls. Every football match becomes an opportunity to preserve education, protect dreams, and cultivate leadership.
School football and club football should never be viewed as rivals. Rather, they are complementary pillars within the same player development ecosystem. Together, they provide continuity in technical development, character formation, academic progression, and career advancement.
Indeed, school football remains the heartbeat of grassroots talent identification. It is where hidden dreams are discovered, where confidence is cultivated, where futures are rewritten, and where generations of young queens learn that excellence begins with opportunity. Investing in school football is, ultimately, investing in Zambia’s future.
