By Wilfred Golden
Preparations are in an advanced stage for the establishment of Malawi Grassroots Soccer Development Foundation (MGSDF).
The Foundation Executive Director Willy Yabwanya believes grassroot football is the beginniof the countrytry’s football development.
He stresses that Malawi focuses much on organizing soccer structures and teams while paying half or no attention to boys and girls who play plastic football barefooted in the streets at the end of the nation hoping to stumble for the talent that it has never invested which is not a sustainable approach.
“We must be deliberate in our approach, we must be deliberate in developing our football and the foundation is here to give our boys and girls chance to learn ethics in football and life in general combine school with football at a tender age of 5 going upwards, we believe if we train the entire minds in life skills as well as football then we have prepared future footballers.
“Our approach is very different as we have chosen a path of grassroot football with a robust approach that lives no one behind including the marginalized groups in the society such as the physically and mentally challenged children,” says Yabwanya.
He adds that his foundation will fill the gaps in forging strategic partnership with both local and international stakeholders as well as imparting football knowledge and life skills on boys and girls through life and survival skills using education and sports as a vehicle.
The foundation has the following as trustees and board of directors.
Trustees; Justice Lovermore Chikopa as a chairperson, Peter Kanjere, Daniel Makata and Tiya Somba Banda.
Board of Directors; McDonald Malema as director of technical affair, Richard Muthali director of statistics, director of partnership strategic planning and international affairs Chisomo Mwamadi, director of communication and innovation Peter Kanjere, grant and business development officer Philip Muthali as well as legal affairs Gilbert Mitawa.
