Over 150 young girls introduced to football through the CAF Grassroots Festival

The event, which brought together 150 girls aged under 13, was organised on the sidelines of the CAF Girls Integrated Football Tournament (GIFT) Tanzania 2025 and provided an opportunity for the young participants to grow their love for the game.

The on-going CAF U17 GIFT tournament will reach a conclusion on Saturday when local sides JKT Queens and TDS Girls do battle in the final at the Azam Complex Stadium at 19h00 local time (16h00 GMT), but before then local players were given the opportunity to experience the game.

The Grassroots Festival was overseen by local coaches and former players such as Rukia Khamisi, Chichi Mwideg, Hilda Josep, Sofia Mwasikil, Ester Chabruma and Shadrack Nsajigwa.

“Everyone knows football is becoming a real business and career opportunity for girls, so we have to start investing in young players,” Nsajigwa said. “Women’s football in Tanzania is growing, so we hope this partnership between CAF and TFF will continue.”

CAF’s Head of Women’s Football, Meskerem Tadesse Goshime, said the Grassroots Festival is a showcase to introduce young girls to the game.

“This festival for girls is to introduce them to football and to motivate them to join the football industry,” Goshime said.

“In Tanzania we have seen a lot of development in terms of women’s football. There are strong leaders and stakeholders such as Yanga SC, Simba SC and JKT Queens have been doing a great job to motivate girls. That's why we are hosting this tournament in Tanzania.”

Goshime says the CAF U17 GIFT tournament serves as a reminder of CAF’s desire to invest in women’s football.

“We believe we can motivate stakeholders and Members Associations (MAs) to invest more in girls football and to have a Women's League for Under-17 girls. This is important as MAs compete in the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.”

The tournament is live on CAF’s YouTube channel, CAF TV and can also be followed across CAF’s digital platforms through #U17GIFT2025.

For more on CAF Safeguarding and Women’s Football development, visit www.cafonline.com.