The local federation has made a step by setting up two national youth teams to help create a good channel for young players
The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has moved to establish U18 and U19 age group national teams which will help create a good channel for young players before they join the U20 national team.
This was disclosed by the federation’s technical director, Oscar Mirambo, who said the development comes after learning there was a big gap that young players had to navigate after playing for the U17 Serengeti Boys.
“Previously, it was hard for a youth player who played in U17 competition to get a direct chance of playing in the U20 squad because of physical demand that is why we saw it fruitful to establish the age categories of U18 and U19 respectively to accommodate them,” Mirambo was quoted by Daily News.
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He added the process will ensure when a player gets a chance to join the U20 team he must have gone through all the required age groups, meaning his understanding of the game will be improved.
He, however, pointed out the challenge of establishing the named age groups is most countries, especially in Africa, do not have them in their programmes as such, competitions for U18 and U19 national teams are very rare.
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“Last season, for the first time, we had a chance to play in the U18 competition in Egypt and it is from there where the idea of putting much focus on the stipulated age groups was intensified,” Mirambo continued.
He also confirmed TFF advised Mainland Premier League clubs with good youth programmes to absorb as many young players as possible as a step not to help nurture their talent.
“Teams like Azam FC, Mtibwa Sugar, and even Coastal Union among others have good youth academy development procedures and they help us a lot to nurture skills of youth players who without a doubt will be useful ingredients for the senior team Taifa Stars,” Mirambo added.
