During the month of celebrating women, Zanaco FC Ladies goalkeeper coach Sarah Chungu achieved a major milestone after winning both the Best Sportswoman of the Year Award and the Best Sports and Physical Health Award at the Glow Women Awards. She received the Sports and Physical Health Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to sport and wellness.
This honor followed shortly after she was also recognized under the Zee Woman in Sport Initiative, an initiative by Zanaco Bank Plc, further highlighting her impact both on and off the pitch.
Chungu, who is also a Warrant Officer in the Zambia Army and a professional Civic Education and Religious Education teacher at Arakan Girls Secondary School, was born in 1990 in Chawama, Lusaka.
She comes from a family of seven girls.
“I was inspired by my late mother, Philis Chungu, who was a football coach, and my sister Tamara Chungu, a former player for National Assembly FC. I started playing football at a young age in Grade Five, initially as an infield player.” She said.
Her transition into goalkeeping came during a school Christmas tournament in Livingstone, when the team’s goalkeeper was injured and she stepped in.
Her impressive performance between the goalposts marked the beginning of her goalkeeping career. In 2006, Chungu began her professional football journey with Edusport FC, later moving to Centro Action FC, before joining Green Buffaloes FC.
Her career reached national prominence as she represented Zambia at Under-17, Under-20, and later the Senior Women’s National Team. In 2014, she was part of the historic Zambia Women’s National Team that qualified for the Women Africa Cup of Nations for the first time, with the tournament held in Namibia.
“My journey into goalkeeping began unexpectedly during a school Christmas tournament in Livingstone. Our goalkeeper was injured, and I stepped in, delivering a performance that would shape my future career.” She said.
However, her football journey did not end there. Determined to remain in the game, Chungu pursued a FIFA Goalkeeping Coaching License, worked part-time as a goalkeeper coach at Green Buffaloes FC, and later secured a CAF C Diploma, along with specialized goalkeeping training.
In 2022, she joined Zanaco FC Ladies as goalkeeper coach. As a coach, Chungu has continued to excel. In 2023, she was part of the technical team at an Under-20 tournament in South Africa, where her goalkeeper won Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
The success continued in 2024 at the COSAFA Tournament in Namibia, where another goalkeeper under her guidance earned the same award. Later in 2023, she was appointed Head Coach of the Under-17 National Schools Team for the COSAFA Tournament in Zimbabwe.
She led the team to tournament victory and guided her players to four individual awards, including Best Coach of the Tournament, making it one of the most successful campaigns in the competition’s history.
Her passion remains in nurturing young goalkeepers, helping them reach their full potential, and inspiring the next generation of athletes both on and off the pitch.
