Kansanshi Dynamos FC have concluded their eight-day preseason camp in Kitwe, with head coach Dennis Makinka expressing satisfaction with the progress made by the squad as preparations for the 2026 Transitional League continue.
With the new season set to begin on October 3, the Mabanga Boys travelled to Kitwe last Saturday to intensify their preparations, giving the technical team an opportunity to work on the squad’s fitness, assess different combinations and build greater understanding among the players.
The camp involved a demanding training programme, with the team also taking some of their sessions to ‘The Dam’ on the first and last day, where the ground has sunk over time and left a loose, sandy surface. Training on the terrain added another physical dimension to the programme as the players continued to work on their conditioning.
For Makinka, it was this sustained work throughout the camp that has helped the team make noticeable progress, particularly in fitness, communication, cohesion and the understanding of coordinated movements. He believes the improvement was increasingly visible as the players spent more time together and began developing better relationships on the pitch.
That progress was also tested through a series of friendly matches. After two days of training, Kansanshi opened their preseason programme with a 2–0 victory over Jumulo FC before edging National League side Kitwe United 1–0 in their second outing.
The final test came in Ndola against Super League side ZESCO United, where the team played a double-header consisting of two 80-minute matches. Kansanshi Dynamos won the first game 2–0 and drew the second 1–1, finishing the two-match exercise with a 3–1 aggregate result.
The ZESCO fixtures provided another opportunity for Makinka to assess the squad, with the coach also pleased by the way new arrivals have settled into the group.
“Like they’ve been here for a long time,” Makinka said of the new players.
While satisfied with the overall progress, the coach says there are still important areas that need attention before the start of competitive football. Ball retention under pressure remains one of them as the team works towards a possession-based approach, while greater efficiency in front of goal is also required.
“There are a lot of chances that we are creating, but we are not clinical at all,” he said.
Makinka also pointed to the need for better coordination between the team’s attacking and defensive phases, areas he believes can continue to improve during the remaining weeks of preparation.
The coach currently rates the team at 65 percent in terms of readiness, but remains confident that the squad can reach the required level before the opening match of the Transitional League.
Asked whether the objectives set for the Kitwe camp had been achieved, Makinka was emphatic:
“A hundred percent. A hundred percent.”
With the camp now complete, Kansanshi Dynamos will return to Solwezi and continue preparations ahead of the October 3 start of the 2026 Transitional League, building on the progress made during an intensive eight days in Kitwe.
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