Tanzanian society suffers from large gender disparities that restrict the accessibility of basic services for girls and women. In Tanzania, like in many of SADC Member states, a large number of students, mostly girls, drop out of school because of pregnancy, teenage marriage, child labour, or truancy to mention only a few reasons.
The fact is, one in three women lack basic literacy skills. Dropout rates due to pregnancy in Tanzania are alarming, leaving many girls and young mothers extremely vulnerable. Unemployment rate for young women is high. Women’s educational attainment level has been proven to have a crucial positive influence on social, economic, and health spheres.
Therefore, interest in girls’ and women’s football in Tanzania is rapidly growing. There are many talented women around the Tanzania who have the potential to be great football players, coaches, referees, administrators, and sports medicine practitioners.
However, the big challenge for Tanzanian women’s football is a lack of organization, structure and infrastructure to encourage more women to play football. There is no women’s league and no coordinating organization for women’s football at the grassroots level.
When you go around the country, one can find out, that there are very few women that are trained as coaches and referees. There are no football academies for young women. There are also serious challenges for women to even have the chance to play football at all due to cultural barriers and taboos.
There is a need for Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) to collaborate with other stakeholders for a renewed focus in developing a programme that will provide a greater opportunity for girls and women to participate in football as well as to Tanzanian society that suffers from large gender disparities that restrict the accessibility of basic services for girls and women.
