Mukekete: Leo United Football Academy from Mukekete village has earned promotion to the Kavango West River Stream Third Division after winning the Tondoro Constituency Fourth Division play-offs, capping a difficult but determined campaign on and off the field.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the academy was founded in 2022 by coach Stephanus Nambara and only joined formal league competition in 2024, but has quickly made its mark. Leo United emerged from a four-team play-off that brought together champions from Musese, Tondoro, Nkurenkuru, and Mpungu constituencies, with only two promotion spots available.

Nambara, who also serves as chairperson, said the step up means more than just a new league. "For me, it's an academy. The main purpose of an academy is football development," he said. "I'm happy that I'm going to expose the players at different level to where we played the last season."

The coach explained that the journey was made harder by the lack of sponsorship. "We had to go through a lot of challenges such as traveling for games and getting food for the players because we did not have a sponsor. What kept us going was the parents, they were always encouraging me, saying we must keep on pushing," Nambara said.

Leo United's promotion came in a tense 1-0 victory over One Ashi Football Academy in the final play-off match on Wednesday. After beating their first opponent 2-1 and losing 1-0 to K City, Leo United went into the last game needing at least a draw. Nambara said they opted for a defensive approach, effectively fielding five at the back and instructing the wingers to break quickly whenever they won the ball. The plan worked, with Leo United scoring in the second half and holding on to secure promotion.

The academy now has about 55 players from Under-13 to Under-20, drawn from Mukekete and surrounding areas such as Nkurenkuru, Muveve, and Mayenzere. Nambara hopes the promotion will finally open doors for his players to reach regional and national level.