By Maimisa Josphat
The decline of women’s football in Zambia is not a natural occurrence—it is an artificially generated phenomenon, shaped by the very custodians entrusted with nurturing the game. Beneath the glamour of international appearances and occasional triumphs lies a fragile foundation where grassroots football remains underfunded, poorly coordinated, and deprived of genuine strategic commitment.
Heavy investment in community football clubs and school football should be the heartbeat of sustainable development. Instead, the current administrative framework is largely cosmetic, theoretically polished but practically hollow. While decentralization is often celebrated in policy documents, it has yet to materialize meaningfully in management, infrastructure development, technical programming, resource mobilization, or the professional growth of coaches.
A football nation cannot flourish without age-appropriate coaching. The absence of structured coaching pathways for Under-13, Under-15, and Under-17 players continues to weaken the pipeline of future national team stars. Talent cannot simply be discovered—it must be nurtured patiently through well-planned developmental stages.
Zambia urgently needs structured football festivals, residential training camps, and regular competitions beginning at community, zonal, and school levels before progressing to district, provincial, and national stages. Every tournament should contribute to a traceable national player database that allows systematic monitoring, talent identification, and gradual player transition through each age category.
The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) must strengthen stakeholder engagement by attracting corporate sponsorship dedicated specifically to youth women’s football. The success of the ZANACO Grassroots Football Tournament for Under-17 players demonstrates that such partnerships are both practical and impactful. Similar competitions should be established consistently for Under-13 and Under-15 age groups to create a complete development pathway.
Grassroots clubs also require practical support. Essential resources, particularly footballs of the correct age-specific sizes, should be readily available and subsidized for community clubs. Furthermore, the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) presents an opportunity to rehabilitate and construct quality community football pitches, provided there is proper custodianship, maintenance, and accountability.
Equally important is the need for a transparent technical development plan. Clear performance benchmarks should guide player progression and national team selection. While experienced players deserve recognition for their immense contribution to the Copper Queens, football remains a cycle of renewal. Some senior players have reached stages where age inevitably limits the physical intensity demanded by modern international football. The future depends on preparing the next generation before the transition becomes a crisis.
Regional competitions such as the COSAFA Women’s Championship should become platforms for exposing emerging talent. Young players such as Nanyangwe, Chipasula, Enelesi, Justina, Chilenga, Salia, Blessing Zangose, Natasha, Phidah, and many other gifted footballers blossoming on Zambia’s copper-rich soil deserve opportunities to gain international experience and gradually inherit the national jersey.
Investment in local coaches is equally urgent. Technical education, licensing, mentorship, and continuous professional development must become national priorities if Zambia is to sustain competitiveness on the continent and beyond.
Ultimately, the greatest weakness confronting women’s football is the absence of a clearly articulated long-term strategic plan. Without a comprehensive roadmap, decisions become reactive rather than deliberate, driven more by external pressure than by rational planning. Sustainable success cannot be built on improvisation.
The time has come for FAZ and the Zambia Schools Sports Association (ZASSA) to forge a deliberate and enduring partnership. Together they must develop a unified national framework for talent identification, player nurturing, technical capacity building, equipment mobilization, infrastructure development, and structured festivals and competitions across Under-13, Under-15, and Under-17 categories—from schools and communities to district, provincial, and national levels.
The Copper Queens have inspired a nation and demonstrated that Zambian women can compete with the very best on the global stage. Yet inspiration alone cannot sustain excellence. Every towering tree draws its strength from healthy roots, and every successful national team is nourished by a vibrant grassroots system. If the roots are neglected, the branches will eventually wither.
The future of Zambian women’s football will not be secured by chance or rhetoric. It will be secured through vision, planning, investment, accountability, and unwavering commitment. The time to act is now, before today’s warning becomes tomorrow’s regret.
