Ascent Academy seek to reach new heights in ‘home’ qualifiers
Ascent Soccer Academy will have the advantage of playing in front of their own fans when they debut at the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier in Blantyre from August 15-24.
The club are based in Lilongwe but will no doubt feel the support of Malawi’s passionate football following from the stands in Blantyre as the ‘home’ team in the regional championship.
The team was started a decade ago as Chigoli Academy and has done more than most in the country to develop the next generation of women’s footballer, with the fruits of their labour becoming evident for the national team.
A recent training camp for Malawi’s SheFlames, the current holders of the COSAFA Women’s Championship title, saw several Ascent players called up.
That includes 18-year-old Leticia Chinyamula, who was the recent recipient of the Most Promising Women’s Player at the 2023 COSAFA Awards, and Rose Kabzere, a star of the African game in the making, who is the same age.
The 17-year-old defender Faith Chinzimu is another top prospect, along with Alinafe Majora, who also plays in the backline, among several others in an inexperienced but highly-talented squad.
The Academy has mostly line-in players with their facilities including pitches, classrooms for education and a gym. It is the only full-time soccer academy that includes a scholarship programme in the country.
They have around 65 students in the programme, which have previously been selected from open trials that drew a remarkable 40,000 hopefuls.
They have already had over 30 players represent Malawi at Under-15, Under-17, Under-20 and senior men’s and women’s national teams.
Ascent earned their place in the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier after claiming the 2024 Senior Women’s National Championship in Malawi with a 1-0 win over MDF Lionesses in the final.
It was an incredible feat given the average age of the squad was just 18.
Ascent said in a statement they are “the first youth side to accomplish the feat and by our records, the first youth academy team globally (men or women) to earn a place in Champions League qualifying”.
Ascent opened the tournament run with a 4-0 quarterfinal win over defending champion Kukoma Ntopwa, who competed in last year’s Champions League qualifiers, before defeating Silver Strikers 2-0 in the semifinals.
Ascent winger Marium Mnenula was named Player of the Tournament, while Thom Mkolongo earned the Coach of the Tournament award.
ASCENT’S GROUP B FIXTURES
All matches played at Mpira Stadium, Blantyre
16/08 – 15h00: vs Young Buffaloes (Eswatini)
18/08 – 15h00: vs UD de Lichinga (Mozambique)
20/08 – 15h00: vs Gaborone United (Botswana)