Effective next season, all topflight clubs’ junior teams will take part in the youth league which will kick off in September, football governing body (FERWAFA) acting president Marcel Matiku Habyarimana has said. The teams, he said, will have to register their junior teams before the Rwanda Premier League starts where every league match between senior teams will be preceded by a youth league match between similar opponents. The junior teams, which will feature under 17 players, will be taking place at midday before their senior sides face off in the Rwanda premier league. Habyarimana told Times Sport that a decision to introduce youth league was taken as part of continued efforts to unearth new football talents from grassroots level as well as to shape the future of Rwandan football around young players. He hopes that coaches will, through the youth league, be able to discover and produce as many talented young players as possible towards a better future for the national team. This programme will help young players to showcase their talent at young ages and improve their football performance. The purpose is to ensure football development among young talents who aspire to one day play in senior clubs,” Habyarimana said. Ferwafa hopes that such a nationwide youth league will finally come into force after several failed attempts. Habyarimana said that it has been a while since the youth teams did not play due to many obstacles, but he is positive that the time to start the competition has come. “What we are hoping for is that now the youth league games are going to start. Decisions have been made. We are optimistic that this new initiative will accelerate the development of Rwandan football,” he said.
