Kenyan youngsters to join Man United camp named

By Erick Ochieng’

Mobile telephone service provider Airtel unveiled the four players who will proceed to the prestigious Manchester United Soccer School Camp in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

The players were selected during the Airtel Rising Stars national secondary schools games at Moi Forces Academy, Nairobi through the Airtel Rising Stars programme launched in June in Nairobi.

The players are Naim Ashraf (Nairobi Milimani Secondary), Mzee Ali Rama (Tononoka High School, Mombasa), Naomi Njeri (Matuu Memorial School in Eastern Province) and Emily Auma (Jera Secondary School from Nyanza Province).

The students will be joined by other representatives from Tanzania, Malawi and Sierra Leone at the camp which runs between October 28 and November 3.

The players’ programme at the camp has been organised by Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) in partnership with Airtel, sponsors of KSSSA Term Two ‘B’ Games. A panel of four coaches led by former Harambee Stars coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee, former Harambee Stars tactician Twahir Muhiddin, former international defender Micky Weche and women’s coach Florence Adhiambo, selected the youngsters.

The selectors were tasked with watching all the football matches during the national finals between August 8 and13 at Moi Forces Academy to identify the talented players.

Four players

"The team identified the two boys and two girls who excelled at the national finals to join the Manchester United youth camp," said Dick Omondi, Airtel representative.

The camp will be launched by Bryan Robson, global ambassador of the Manchester United Football Club.

Robson is best known for playing for Manchester United between 1981-1994 where he was the longest serving captain in the club’s history.

He captained the team to three FA Cups and one European Cup Winners Cup besides representing England on 90 occasions as captain, making him the sixth most capped England player of all time.

The camp is expected to provide technical courses to the youngsters. The courses, based on Manchester United’s Academy programme, are delivered to enable young players ‘Learn to Play the United Way.

"Airtel’s involvement with youth talent development makes us as a true partner in the creation of real opportunities and a bright and successful outlook for these talented Kenyan youth in our true Kenyan spirit," said Shivan Bhargava, Airtel Kenya Chief Operating Officer.

He added: "The Airtel Rising Stars programme is designed to provide a structured platform for scouts, coaches, football authorities and other football talent development enthusiasts to tap into a vast pool of upcoming talent and build strong football talent feeder systems for our league and national teams."

We are excited to send these youngsters to learn from the best in the programme that will make a positive impact on their lives."

The national schools boys’ football was won by Gekomoni High School and Bishop Njenga High in the girls’ category.

The winners took home Sh50,000 worth of book vouchers each alongside prestigious Airtel trophy and winners’ medals.

Airtel Rising Stars was launched as part of a four-year sponsorship deal with Manchester United last December and launched in Kenya in June at a coaching clinic conducted by another Manchester legend, Andy Cole.

Through the partnership, select Airtel operations can tap into the club’s football reservoir of technical resources and sports marketing expertise.

The programme is being organised in a three-year in partnership with KSSSA.