Arsenal coaches conduct soccer clinics in Kenya and Uganda

Arsenal FC-Imperial Bank Football Clinic.
Children from different Schools and Counties get instruction from Arsenal Football Schools Coach Rupen Shah during Imperial Bank and Arsenal Coaching Clinic in Nairobi's Parklands Sports Club on Friday, April 17th. 2015. PHOTO/ JONAH ONYANGO.
 

English Premier League side Arsenal FC in partnership with Imperial Bank conducted a two-day children's coaching clinic in Kenya and Uganda, on Friday and Saturday respectively.

The exercise which started on Friday in Kenya, at the Parklands Sports Club, saw Arsenal Soccer School coaches, Drew Tyler and Rupen Shah train approximately 50 children from the surrounding communities and the bank's marble junior account holders on how to play the Gunners way by teaching them football skills and technique.

The coaching clinic, which is in its second edition courtesy of a three-year partnership deal between the two parties, kicked-off last month with tournaments in Mombasa, Nairobi and Kampala.

"We got about 50 kids here, two of our most experienced Arsenal Soccer Schools taught them how to play football the Arsenal way. That's the philosophy Arsene Wenger has put in place; a lot of fast pacing and possession football," said Alex Smith, Arsenal Partner Services Manager.

"It's been an excellent training and the kids have shown some good skills and technique. We've enjoyed ourselves and we hope the boys had fun too. Our job is to impart skills to players," added Tyler.

Imperial Bank's head of Marketing, CSR and Sustainability, Muthoni Wachira was impressed with the progress of the programme.

 "We have always considered children as a priority stakeholder group – they are the bank's future customers and employees. We also see it fit to nurture young football talent in Kenya and Uganda by giving gifted children an opportunity which they elsewise would not have had. We want to give these children an opportunity to be trained by some of the best coaches in the world," said Wachira.