Yanga SC set for major Youth Football launch on Saturday with Pitso Mosimane as special guest

Tanzanian champions Young Africans SC are gearing up for a landmark moment this weekend, with celebrated South African coach Pitso Mosimane expected to grace a major event in Dar es Salaam on Saturday.

The arrival of the three-time CAF Champions League-winning tactician is set to add weight to what the club describes as a transformative step for its future.

The Jangwani-based giants will officially unveil the Young Africans Soccer Schools (YASS), a youth development programme inspired by successful models across the continent, including Mosimane’s own well-known soccer school framework.

The initiative forms part of Yanga’s broader plan to nurture young talent and build a sustainable pipeline for the club and national football.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Yanga SC CEO Andre Mtine highlighted the enormous potential within Tanzania’s youthful population.

“According to the 2022 population census, we have about 26 million Tanzanians aged 0-14. Given that statistic, what does it say we could do for youth development, football… even if you take just 1%, even 0.5% of that 26 million for the upper age group, you have a lot of kids that you could… groom to play football going forward,” Mtine explained.

The programme will kick off with the Under-11, Under-13, and Under-15 age categories in Dar es Salaam, with the long-term goal of moulding players good enough to progress to the senior team in their mid-teens, mirroring structures used by top European clubs.

“This is the vision of Young Africans. Develop talents from within. Capture them at a young age so that you can nurture them. They can learn the ball skills very early… We have the population and the means. Most importantly, we have the talent,” he added.

A major highlight of Saturday’s event will be Mosimane’s presence, which Mtine described as a significant endorsement of Yanga’s new direction.

“I also wish to inform you that we have a pleasant surprise for you. Because of the vision we have for the Young Africans Soccer Schools, we have a special guest who will be in attendance on Saturday, and that is Mr Pitso Mosimane.”

Mtine further praised Mosimane’s influence and experience in youth development structures across Africa.

“Pitso, by the way, has developed this concept. He has been doing this with the schools in South Africa for some time now. He will be coming, he will be our special guest, and we will see how we can collaborate with him going forward and other such like, um, institutions and persons,” he continued.

The launch marks a pivotal step for Yanga SC as they look to shape the next generation of Tanzanian football stars.