As women football gets more recognition, fervent Copperbelt-based football administrator Esther Bwalya is advocating that more players attain education and formal employment beyond their playing days.
From her days as Zesco Ndola Girls Team Manager to her current position as FAZ Copperbelt Provincial women’s football chief, Bwalya has been fighting to ensure players are empowered with education and employment.
In an interview with Icengelo Magazine in Ndola, Bwalya famously known as “Madam EB” insists that football remains a short career for many players.
She has reminded the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), clubs, players and fellow administrators that female footballers deserve to live decent lives after hanging their boots.
“As FAZ Copperbelt Women football representative, I have been advocating football and education because football is a short career. We need to ensure that children go to school while they are playing football and they have to go to colleges. Some players in our different leagues are even university and college students,” Bwalya said.
She said football should be utilised as a tool to develop key life skills, foster personal development, and promote sustainable social transformation.
“We also advocate for them to find permanent employment through channels like Zambia Army, Zambia Air Force, Zesco Limited, Zambia Police Service and Zambia National Service. We always encourage our girls to work hard because through football they can find themselves on the Government payroll. We are working hand in hand with relevant authorities from the Government wings to ensure that the girls are given a chance through sport to be employed in the Government,” she said.
Copper Queens star Grace Chanda is a ZAF officer, Zesco Ndola Girls striker Avell Chitundu is now a permanent employee of Zesco Limited while her former team mate Mwaka Namwila, who now plays for Kamfinsa Eaglet has been employed as a trained Police Officer.
Bwalya highlighted efforts being made by FAZ on the Copperbelt Province to spread women football to all the ten districts.
Women football leagues have been introduced in the remotest districts of the Copperbelt; Mpongwe, Masaiti and Lufwanyama.
“Women football on the Copperbelt Province is going on so well, as you can see from the fruits. We are expanding football to rural areas in order to promote talent identification and grassroots football development. There is plenty of talent in the rural districts of the Copperbelt such as Masaiti, Lufwanyama and Mpongwe. As FAZ Copperbelt we don’t want to leave any talented player behind. We want to cover the ten districts of the Copperbelt Province,” she said.
According to the United Nations, girl children in Zambia face significant challenges, including high rates of child marriage and adolescent pregnancy.
“Being a woman myself motivates me to help women footballers; I know what goes on in the life of a girl-child. If the girl child is left unsupervised and unattended to, she will end up indulging in bad behaviour. So, the girl child should be going to school and involving herself in sport so that she also gets exposed and she will know that being involved in sport has got a lot of benefits,” Bwalya remarked.
She said enhanced efforts from parents and guardians are needed to shape girls into responsible citizens.
“Parents and guardians out there, let’s support the girl-child. When football is growing at lightning speed, let us mould these girls to become responsible women in future,” Bwalya concluded.
(This story was written by Icengelo Christian Magazine editor Valentine Mukuka for Mission Press)
