The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will hold the official draw of the CAF African Schools Football Championship today, Tuesday 4th April 2023, Nigeriasoccernet.com can report.
The youth football competition that will see 14 of the top boys’ and girls’ schools on the continent will meet for the right to be crowned African champions will be played in Durban between 5-8 April at the King Zwelithini Stadium.
The final will he played at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on Saturday, 08 April at 10h00.
"It is a ground-breaking event that has huge ramifications for the future of football on the continent, but also seeks to create our new leaders of tomorrow," CAF official website statements reads.
Speaking to CAFOnline.com, Sarah Mukuna, Director of Member Associations, discusses the idea behind the programme and how it has come alive in Africa.
"One of the best investments we can make for the future of football on the African continent is to build our talent pool from the base up, and for many children that starts at their schools. Many of our continent’s top stars, who have gone to the very highest level of the game, started their football journey at school level. It was their first contact with the game and where they grew their passion. We believe there are many footballing gems out there, both boys and girls, and we want to give as many as possible the chance to fall in love with the game and showcase their talent."
"Some 400,000 boys and girls and over 20,000 schools have participated this season, already massive figures that we want to grow in the coming years. That is participants from 41 countries across the continent, which is a huge achievement in the first year. We want to grow that reach further and expand on what we have done in year one," she added.
By Oluwayemi Omolagba