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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
THE country’s biggest schools football tournament, Copa Coca-Cola Under-16 boys and 17-and-Under girls, will be officially launched tomorrow at Chidyamakono School in Chivi District, Masvingo.

Chidyamakono are the girls’ defending champions, while Chemhanza High from Hwedza are the title holders in the boys section.

The tournament is run in partnership with the National Association of Secondary Schools Heads and the launch will see the sponsors unveiling their sponsorship package for this year’s competition.

The finals for this year are scheduled for July 17 to 19 in Bulawayo with Gifford High School hosting the boys competition while the girls will be at Montrose Girls High.

Nash National head in charge of football, Albert Mucheka, said the launch will coincide with the zonal competition which kicks-off tomorrow in the 10 provinces.

Winners from the zonals will proceed to the district competition before the provincial finals that will decide each province’s representative at the finals in Bulawayo.

“The launch is on this Friday and we are going to have the sponsor unveil the sponsorship for 2015. We will also have the draw for the teams that will participate at national level.

“The zonal competition will kick-off this Friday as well at various venues throughout the county. The 10 provincial champions will join the hosts and the defending champions to make them 12 teams in each category.

“Those 12 teams will be divided into four groups of three teams where they will play in a round robin.

“The top team and the runner-up will progress to the quarter-finals then from there to the semis and then the finals. There will be teams for the Under-16 boys and 17-and-Under girls so it means we have a total of 24 teams,” said Mucheka.

This is the first time the girls’ defending champions are hosting the launch of the tournament since the inception of the girls event in 2011.

Mucheka said they want to acknowledge the participation of girls.

“This time, for a change, we wanted to respect the girl child. Chidyamakono have won the tournament twice, in 2013 and 2014 and we felt it was an honour to have them host the launch of the tournament.

“This is the fifth year the girls’ tournament is running and actually there is a lot of interest for girls football,” said Mucheka.

Representatives from Coca-Cola and the Nash leadership from the 10 provinces are expected to attend tomorrow’s launch.