Top locally-based Kenyan players to display their skills in England

SportPesa All stars.

For 18 locally-based football players, a trip to the KCOM Stadium, home to English Premier League side Hull City, next month will be a culmination of two months of sheer hard work and a celebration for making it to the SportPesa AllStars squad.

 The select side will comprise of the crème de la crème of the SportPesa Premier League scouted by two Hull City FC coaches, Richard Naylor and Kris Blakeston, who spent two weeks in the country last November. The reward; to play a match with Hull City FC at the KCOM Stadium in February and a return leg in Kenya later.

 The two coaches traversed the country to attend SPL matches, Harambee Stars friendly matches and training sessions with the aim to select 50 players from the 16 SportPesa Premier League teams. Nonetheless 47 players were selected and started their training camp with Hull City FC coaches on the 16th of January 2017. It is from these players that the final 18 to form the SportPesa AllStars team will be selected.

 This will be the first Kenyan football team to play on United Kingdom soil. This has been made possible by the partnership between SportPesa and Hull City FC, where SportPesa is now the EPL team shirt sponsor for the next three seasons.

 As part of the sponsorship, Hull City FC will offer technical assistance towards the development of Kenyan football, and its first team will play a friendly match in Kenya during the off-season.

 SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri said the historic match is part of the leading betting firm’s overall goal of developing Kenyan football so that the country qualifies to participate in the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar.