By Francis Nyamutsamba, Special Correspondent
WHAT started as a seemingly random trip home to Zimbabwe from a week-long sports entrepreneurship program I attended in Kigali Rwanda, culminated in a massively insightful, three-hour flight from Nairobi to Harare. The unexpected revelation came after I found myself seated next to none other than Charity Nthala, the head coach of Zambia’s under-20 women’s football team.
As a sports journalist with nearly two decades of experience, I was naturally drawn to my seatmate, who was wearing a Zambian tracksuit, a familiar sight, given the rising profile of Zambia’s women’s football. A brief introduction followed, and Charity explained that she was returning to Zambia from Burundi, where she had led her team to a narrow 2-1 victory over Burundi in a World Cup qualifier.
Already an admirer of Zambia’s strides in women’s football, I eagerly asked her about the country’s progress, particularly in youth development. What followed was a fascinating discussion that would leave me reflecting on the missed opportunities for Zimbabwe’s own women’s football scene.
Zambia’s achievements in women’s football have been nothing short of remarkable. Not only have they qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, but the country has also made waves at youth levels, with their under-17 side qualifying for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup three times, including for the upcoming edition in Morocco.
Curious to know how Zambia had achieved so much, I asked Coach Nthala what had been the driving force behind their success. The answer came with a smile and a clear conviction: mass participation.
At the heart of Zambia’s model is an emphasis on grassroots football. The country has established a robust football structure that stretches all the way down to district level. According to Nthala, “We’ve made football accessible to young girls across the country, creating a pathway that nurtures talent from the ground up.”
Zambia’s women’s football ecosystem begins at district level, where local communities organise 10 teams in each district. The vast number of district-level teams creates a solid talent pool, making it easier for the higher levels of competition to spot and recruit promising players. From here, the path to the top involves several layers of competition.
Teams that excel in their district leagues are promoted to provincial leagues, where the best of the best face off in a bid to reach the national stage. At the national level, teams battle in play-offs, with two groups of five teams playing a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group advance to the national league, while the bottom four are relegated.
To further mitigate logistical challenges, the national league is split into two divisions, ensuring that teams are evenly matched. The top two from each national league automatically gain promotion to the super league, which represents the pinnacle of women’s football in Zambia.
Coach Nthala’s eyes lit up as she explained the importance of this multi-tiered system. “There are no shortcuts in football,” she said. “Our model ensures that players develop at every stage, and it creates a deep pool of talent for our top-tier teams to draw from.”
As we continued our conversation, I couldn’t resist bringing up Barbara Banda, Zambia’s star forward, who has become a beacon of hope for aspiring footballers in the country. I had the privilege of watching Barbara in her younger days at Rufaro Stadium, where she was a less muscular, more youthful player, yet it was clear even then that she had potential.
Charity’s face lit up as soon as I mentioned Barbara’s name. “Barbara’s success has inspired so many young girls across Zambia,” Nthala said. “She’s not just a footballer; she’s a role model. Seeing her play in the top leagues has given our girls something to strive for.”
Zambia’s ability to nurture players like Barbara has been significantly bolstered by the fact that four of their top players currently play in the United States’ top-flight league, something Coach Nthala pointed out as a major factor in raising the standard of the national team.
As the flight drew to a close, the insights I gained from Coach Nthala left me thinking deeply about the state of women’s football in Zimbabwe. The country has undeniable talent, but it lacks a coherent, sustainable model for mass participation at grassroots level. Without it, we risk overlooking untapped potential that could drive the women’s game to greater heights.
In comparison to Zambia, where every district has its own football teams, Zimbabwe’s grassroots scene remains underdeveloped. The emphasis on district-level participation, the existence of multiple layers of competition, and the structured development from local leagues to the top-tier national leagues are strategies that Zimbabwe could learn from.
Zambia’s success has not come by chance, it is the result of a deliberate, well-thought-out system that prioritises youth development, grassroots engagement, and the cultivation of role models. In contrast, Zimbabwe’s women’s football scene needs a similar structure to foster growth, promote participation, and ultimately, compete on the international stage.
Zambia’s women’s football model is proof that success in football isn’t just about the talent on the field, it is about the structures, the support systems, and the investment in youth development off the field. It’s a model that Zimbabwe can and should replicate if we want to see our women’s game flourish.
As I deplaned in Harare, I couldn’t help but feel a renewed sense of urgency. If Zimbabwe is to make its mark in women’s football again, following that historic 2016 Rio Olympic Games Qualification. We must start with a foundation that nurtures talent from the grassroots, just like our Zambian neighbours have done. The future of women’s football in Zimbabwe depends on it.
