The Wanyama brothers, McDonald Mariga and his brother Victor Wanyama through their Wanyama Foundation have created a Wanyama Academy in Busia.
The project is being constructed on a 22-acre piece of land.
It has an administration block, which will house the academy’s reception area and administrators’ offices. Also included in the plan are state of the art pitches, to be used for training and official league matches.
The project also intends to have teachers’ quarters, which shall house the tutors, coaches, and players’ handlers. Footballers will also reside in designated dormitories at the expansive complex.
“All these will be the grounds children will use to hone their skills,” Mariga said. “The large ground will be the stadium where they will play. We want to try and revive Kenyan Football,” he added.
The idea
“We sat down as a family and decided that if we wanted to start an academy, we would have to have a big land. We chose here in Busia County, specifically Nambale.
“We want to help Kenya play in the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup, that is our target. I think this is a proper academy that will produce more players- and big players as well.”
Mariga envisions that the players will receive formal education at the facility while pursuing their professional football careers. The purpose is to make students have a backup plan in case football does not work for them.
“We decided to have classrooms and teachers quotas as well. We will have fewer students per classroom and even have them fitted with air conditioners so that students will be able to study under the right conditions and also receive their education.” Wanyama said.
Our target
“Our target is to find players who are aged between 14 and 15 years. We will be hosting annual tournaments every year. We will have coaches who spot for kids and the best of the best will be admitted here.
This project has not only created job opportunities for youth in Busia but has also given a chance to the youth in the region to get the chance to showcase their talents at the state-of-the-art facility.
“We have played in Europe and have seen first hand the benefits of academies. We have acquired the knowledge necessary to nurture players and we will have professional coaches.
“We have academies from abroad who want to help us run programmes which will make it easier for us to be able to run the academy.
Wanyama’s foundation is currently sponsoring needy students through scholarships. The students are also occasionally treated to extracurricular activities, such as visits to game parks.
The foundation aims to create opportunities for the youth to fully explore their talents, to feel valued and inspired to achieve greatness. The Football Academy received a financial boost from Betgr8, an online betting platform in April.
Source- Pulse