Kenya’s representatives at the inaugural edition of the CAF U-17 Girls Integrated Football Tournament (GIFT) Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS) will face opponents from Tanzania, Ethiopia and South Sudan.KAS was drawn in Group A; and shall face Tanzania’s JKT Queens, City Lights FA from South Sudan and Ethiopia’s B. D Kenema FC.Group A has JKT Queens (Tanzania), City Lights FA (South Sudan), B.D Kenema (Ethiopia) and K.A.S (Kenya).##NAJAVA_MECA_8609920##The confirmation came after the draw was conducted on Saturday 4 January 2025.The inaugural CAF U-17 Girls Integrated Football Tournament (GIFT) will take place at the Azam Sports Complex in Dar-es-Salaam from Tuesday 7 to Saturday 18 January.The Kenya Academy of Sports team opens their tourney against BD Kenema (Ethiopia) on Tuesday 7 January.##NAJAVA_MECA_8609893##They will rest on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 January before resuming on Friday 10 January against City of Lights (South Sudan ) and will complete their group games on Monday 13 January against JKT Queens from Tanzania.The winner of the respective groups will then face off in the final on Saturday 18 January.The KAS team has been in a residential camp across various towns in Kenya identifying talents to represent the nation at the inaugural event.Gor Mahia strike deal to sell Rooney Onyango, set to release 5 othersHosts Tanzania have two clubs; JKT Queens and TDS Girls Academy. Kenya has Kenya Academy of Sports, Aigle Noir FC (Burundi), Bahir Dar Kenema FC (Ethiopia), City Lights Football Academy (South Sudan) and Hilaad FC from Somalia.The GIFT championship is a pioneering pilot initiative to promote the development of women’s football across Africa.The tournament provides a platform to showcase young female footballers, build player capacity and promote women’s football at regional and continental levels.The competition is part of CAF’s strategy to promote gender equality and empower the next generation of female footballers.CAF has set out to increase participation of girls in football across the continent, encourage MAs and clubs to invest in girls’ football clubs, leagues and Under-17 women’s national teams, and provide a pathway for girls to transition from schools football to competitive football structures.Simba Queens boss backs Kenyan keeper to fill void left by compatriot RufaIn addition, there will be a CAF D-License coaching course and a workshop for media representatives to be held on the sidelines of the tournament, with the aim of promoting best practices in communications and media engagement.Alongside the competition, there will be community events such as a girls’ football festival, sports clinics, and health awareness campaigns conducted in partnership with UEFA.These initiatives aim to leave a lasting legacy for local communities in Tanzania.
