Football Association of Malawi (Fam) President Fleetwood Haiya has urged Chipiku Premier Division teams to feature more young players.
Haiya made the remarks during the official launch of the 2025 Chipiku League at Salima Mangoes Ground in Salima District on Saturday.
He said teams should use the third-tier league as a good platform for exposing young players.
“The teams strategically need to think of featuring young players who can play for the teams for more than three years. We always encourage teams to use youthful squads with the aim of investing in the future,” Haiya said.
Furthermore, Haiya said the Chipiku Premier Division and the other regional leagues would help to prepare players for the newly introduced NBS Bank National Division League.
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“This league will help bring competition in the Central Region as they prepare for life in the second-tier league,” he said.
He hailed Chipiku Stores for increasing the sponsorship package for this year to K25million from K19.8 million.
Chipiku Stores Regional Administrator Brown Mkangama said they expected teams to exercise discipline throughout the season.
“We have made a huge investment in the league. Our aim is to take football to the next level. As such, we do not want to be associated with violence,” Mkangama said.
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On his part, Central Region Football Association (CRFA) General Secretary Antonio Manda said they expected a violent-free season.
“The stakes are very high this season; so, we expect a competitive season. We urge them to respect the rules and regulations of the game,” Manda said.
In the opening match, Blue Eagles and Armour Battalion shared the spoils after a 1-1 stalemate.
This year’s champions will receive K8 million, up from K5 million, whereas the runners-up will get K3 million.
The third-place team will pocket K1.5 million.
In addition, there will be individual accolades including those of player of the season and top goal scorer.
