More about football: the league structure/membership

Chainda Pitch

The rules of football are the same in Zambia as they are in the UK and the structure of the league teams and academies likewise. Goals are the same and getting them is just as good. There are the same ecstasies, the same agonies, to drag an overused couple of words up screaming. The main difference is that access to technology is difficult and too expensive and as a result organisation and coordination is more time consuming. This doesn't really matter but it's interesting to see. Much is recorded, pitchside, by the written word and this is another responsibility, on top of actually hands-on coaching, of the Head Coach Mukuka, in the case of the Dynamic Stars Academy (hereafter DSA). This information, if it relates to registered teams,  has to be taken by bus or foot to the Football Association of Zambia (hereafter FAZ) offices in central Lusaka every couple of weeks. To do this, some grasp of the written word from schooling is a prerequisite.

There was originally a K5 (50p) annual membership fee for those wishing to join the DSA but this was discontinued because it excluded too many children whose families were unable to afford it. Membership is now free and open to all standards and currently  numbers stand at 120 boys and 25 girls, approximately. The academy includes a large number of children vulnerable for a large number of reasons. Some have suffered a poor, unspecified,  upbringing, subject to family problems or abuse, physical, emotional and sexual. Extreme poverty presents many challenges to families in the local community and children do not escape these. Aids creates its orphans and infects its victims whose numbers are not recorded and who miss out on the medicines where available. I haven't met anybody in Zambia yet who has not been directly affected by the disease. To do so is a rare event. A number of the DSA members have physical difficulties. Some are visually impaired or live with physical difficulties from birth or childhood diseases such as polio. Respiratory diseases seem common and most of the children are malnourished.

There are two major leagues that the academy teams can register and play in. This depends on whether the academy/teams can afford the fees. The lower/cheaper league is the Dynamic Ministries League (hereafter DML) which is organised and run by the Kelly Mukuka and the higher, more expensive leagues are those organised by FAZ. For teams of 22 players to register for a season with the DML  the costs are as follows:

• Under 17's - K80 (£8.50)
• Under 14's - K70 (£7.50)
• Under 12's - K50 (just over a fiver)

Kelly is hoping to develop a team for the younger members as he has a large number of 4-5 year old with nothing to do in the daytime, wanting to join. There is no other provision for young children in the compound, often a problem if their parents are dead.

There are rules

One of the DSA main objectives this season was to register a under 17's team in the FAZ Super Amateur League, sort of the Premier League of Zambian compound amateur football. This costs K1000 (over £100) per season for a team of 22. I don't know if he has manage to do this yet.

The football season in Zambia runs from March - September, when the rains are imminent. It's hard to play on pitches made of mud in the rainy season; the ball just gets stuck. In the DML, there is neither relegation or promotion and all teams competing are based in the Lusaka area. The furthest a team would have to travel in the DML for away fixtures would be 10-15km, if they could raise the money. Regularly, away games are forfeited and the result 2-0 awarded to the opposition team and a bye if a cup tie. There are several cup competitions where the prizes are trophies, small amounts of cash or equipment. Kelly received some school equipment from a friend in Canada recently and the calculators that were included were very welcome by the  school going members in the winning team of a recent pre-season tournament.  

The League tables

Most of the DML games are played at the pitch in Chainda where records of the results, goal-scorers, disciplinary matters are recorded in an A4 hardback book. The book is very important, guarded closely by the coach and to have the honour of carrying this to the Kelly's home is a mark of respect for the chosen child at the end of a match day. 

Updating records - pitchside, Chainda