The long-awaited dream opening of the Luwinga Academy is fast turning into a reality with an acclimatization camp for the 27 boys who were selected as the first cohort of the high performance Centre this weekend.
The boys arrived in Mzuzu on Thursday for an acclimatization tour ahead of the official opening of the academy in September.
A five-man FIFA delegation will be in the country in the next six days to appreciate the progress of the academy which is scheduled for opening in September 2024.
Football Association of Malawi Technical Director Benjamin Kumwenda in an interview today said all the preparations for the visit by the FIFA delegation and the demo camp are in place.
“Our kids are in Mzuzu to acclimatize with the environment at the Luwinga Technical Centre. Today ( Friday) was their first day where they have done their medical tests. It is critical that we conduct our youth academy with all international best practices such as mandatory medical tests.
“They will thereafter commence training sessions on Saturday after which they will play some few friendly test matches against fellow youth teams from Mzuzu on August 20, and will break camp on August 21. As a matter of fact the kids will be at the centre during a visit of a five-man FIFA delegation that is coming to appreciate progress at the high performance centre.”
FAM President Fleetwood Haiya has in recent months accelerated efforts to have the academy completed by committing resources to the project that started way back in.
Added Kumwenda: The delegation will make some briefings and presentations regarding in terms of safeguarding issues in sports. After this brief camp the kids will be back at the centre as the schools open. We expect that the 27 boys and 13 girls to be registered at Wukani Private Schools within the city. The school has both primary and secondary school hence it can accommodate all of our kids.
“Our plan is that the kids will be training from Tuesdays to Fridays after school hours and all of them will be at the centre during weekends. We are gearing to ensure that the centre should be ready by September when schools reopen. That is why we are working tirelessly on the playing fields as we know that for the academy to produce good players we must have better pitches. On the other hand let me also say that we have a selection for girls in Lilongwe where girls from across the country will be in the capital on August 22 for the selection, he said.
Malawi, Mauritania and Djibouti were selected for a programme in Africa to set up inclusive football academies that will also teach youngsters how to prepare for life outside the four lines of the pitch.
The programme, run by Fifa and the Agence Française de Développement [AFD] and implemented by the NGO Play International and the Senegal-based Diambars Institute, is intended to make the most of football’s ability to teach life skills such as commitment and teamwork.
