{"id":52321,"date":"2023-11-12T18:59:11","date_gmt":"2023-11-12T18:59:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/salimas-football-dream-comes-true"},"modified":"2023-11-12T19:14:09","modified_gmt":"2023-11-12T19:14:09","slug":"salimas-football-dream-comes-true","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/salimas-football-dream-comes-true","title":{"rendered":"Salima\u2019s Football Dream Comes True"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Malawi. <\/strong><\/span>In the heart of Salima, where the sweltering lakeshore sun beats down relentlessly, lies a small, dusty patch of earth tucked behind the Salima Community Hall.<\/p>\n

Here, a spirited group of teenagers, devoid of any fancy footballing gear save for their cherished ball, engage in a kickabout with infectious enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

It is as if they are dancing with the very essence of the sport, their carefree laughter and tireless pursuit of the worn-out football giving life to the bare grounds.<\/p>\n

Their determination knows no bounds as they chase after the battered ball, as if their very existence hinges on its every move. Each bead of sweat that forms on their brows is a testament to the burning passion that fuels their every step and kick.<\/p>\n

With no official stadium in this entire town, this open field, like many others in Salima, has become their hallowed football ground\u2014a sacred place where the beautiful game flourishes with just a ball and an abundance of heart.<\/p>\n

Yet, a shimmering promise lies on the horizon, casting its glow over the football-mad town. Salima is on the brink of transformation, for soon, a magnificent football stadium will rise from the dust.<\/p>\n

The prospect of this monumental change electrifies the air, stirring excitement among the locals like a long-awaited dream coming to fruition. No longer will they have to make do with makeshift pitches; they will have a grand stage where their passion can reach new heights.<\/p>\n

Salima District Council\u2019s director of public works Harris Kumwenda says the 5,000-capacity stadium is 65 percent complete. \u201cCurrently, we are working the perimeter fence and the pitch,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

According to Kumwenda, the facility, which is being built next to Salima Community Centre, will boast of several stands, including a VIP stand, a netball court.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact, we have invested in an on-field drainage system that will ensure that there is no water-logging on the pitch during the rainy season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph Kaunda, district sports officer for Salima, who also coached Salima Secondary School during their bronze-winning journey at the CAF Africa Schools Tournament last year, notes that the new pitch will elevate the standard of the game in Salima.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose players who went to South Africa for the tournament, they were using this hard dry pitch. And yet they were able to win bronze. So, imagine if they were playing on a better pitch? the improvement of this pitch will help to promote talent in the district,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

Vice chairman of the Salima Stadium Project Management Committee Daliso Gome noted that, for many years, the district has been praying for a stadium due to the community\u2019s love for the beautiful game.<\/p>\n

\u201cSalima is a soccer loving community that is why we have many football teams here like Mafco, Parachute Battalion, Ngolowingo, Salima United and several other teams but we face challenges when it comes to a proper football pitch,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He added that the new stadium will enable the council to generate funds from the facility that can be used to fund other projects in the district. So dire is the football pitch situation that Mafco, the town\u2019s sole representative in the TNM Super League, currently travels 170 kilometres to Dwangwa for its home games.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s captain Paul Ndhlovu notes that the scenario adversely affects the team\u2019s performance. \u201cThe biggest challenge is that it is not our real home so the support is always apart from the team having to deal with the long distance from Salima,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ndhlovu notes that the construction of a standard football pitch in Salima will motivate the team. \u201cIt will be an advantage to us as we will be playing before our real supporters and we will be playing to win all games in order to impress the people of Salima,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Salima Stadium is being financed under the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) project is a $100 million grant from the World Bank Board of Executive Directors with an objective to \u201cstrengthen local authorities\u2019 institutional performance, responsiveness to citizens and management of resources for service delivery.<\/p>\n

The five-year project intends to, among others, enhance local authority capacity and finance performance-based grants to 28 district local authorities to deliver priority development projects that enhance service delivery.<\/p>\n

Salima District Council received K471 million in the 2022\/23 GESD performance-based grants, of which K270 million was invested in construction of the stadium while the council hopes to pump in K375 in the next phase of the stadium.<\/p>\n

The future stadium\u2019s construction symbolizes more than just bricks and mortar. It is a testament to the unyielding spirit of the community\u2014a testament to their undying love for the sport that unites them.<\/p>\n

As the sun sets on the old, humble grounds and the shadows of the stadium-to-be stretch out, one thing is certain: this transformation will forever mark a defining moment in the town\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Malawi<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Malawi. In the heart of Salima, where the sweltering lakeshore sun beats down relentlessly, lies a small, dusty patch of earth tucked behind the Salima Community Hall. Here, a spirited group of teenagers, devoid of any fancy footballing gear save for their cherished ball, engage in a kickabout with infectious enthusiasm. It is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":52320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[233,371,884,125,234,2346,3315],"class_list":["post-52321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-malawi","tag-construction","tag-football","tag-malawi","tag-salima","tag-stadiums"],"yoast_head":"\nSalima\u2019s Football Dream Comes True - Malawi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the heart of Salima, where the sweltering lakeshore sun beats down relentlessly, lies a small, dusty patch of earth t ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/salimas-football-dream-comes-true\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Salima\u2019s Football Dream Comes True\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the heart of Salima, where the sweltering lakeshore sun beats down relentlessly, lies a small, dusty patch of earth t ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/salimas-football-dream-comes-true\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Malawi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-12T18:59:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-12T19:14:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2023\/11\/sm_1699803769.799315.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/salimas-football-dream-comes-true#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/salimas-football-dream-comes-true\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Salima\u2019s Football Dream Comes True\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-12T18:59:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-12T19:14:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/salimas-football-dream-comes-true\"},\"wordCount\":835,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/salimas-football-dream-comes-true#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2023\/11\/sm_1699803769.799315.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Malawi\",\"Construction\",\"football\",\"Malawi\",\"Salima\",\"Stadiums\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/salimas-football-dream-comes-true#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/salimas-football-dream-comes-true\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/salimas-football-dream-comes-true\",\"name\":\"Salima\u2019s Football Dream Comes True - 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