Youngsters lauds Airtel as Kanu offers Tips for Success in Soccer
Lagos, Nigeria; September 01, 2011: Participating youngsters in the on-going Airtel Rising Stars Under-17 Tournament have lauded Airtel Nigeria for coming up with the initiative just as they declared readiness to follow the career path of the Tournament Partner and former African Footballer of the Year, Kanu Nwankwo, whom they described as a national hero for his exploits in football.
Kanu Nwankwo was at the Police College, Ikeja yesterday (Thursday, September 1) for the Lagos Regional Open Camp where he led the youngsters in an all-football clinic session.
Oduniyi Kehinde, a highly gifted 17-year old female footballer with Unstoppable FC, Ikeja described the Open Camp as a life-time opportunity for her and the other youngsters.
“Playing football is a gift and Airtel is giving me the opportunity to bring this out”, she said.
Kehinde also described Kanu Nwankwo, most capped Nigerian Footballer, as an inspiration whose presence at the Airtel Rising Stars Open Camp really meant much to the youngsters. “It really inspired me. I felt I was like him, and I hope to be like him”, said Kehinde who hopes to make it to the National Championship of the competition to attract the attention of international scouts.
For Ayomide Ojo, the Airtel Rising Stars Tournament is a timely intervention for female football in the country. She also sees Kanu as a great inspiration whose success in the round leather game motivates her to aspire to greater heights in her football career.
The 16-year old female footballer from Ann Chiejine Academy, Aja hopes to make the final cut for the National Championship to brighten her chances of being in the national Under-17 female team to the world cup.
She said, “Airtel is doing a good job by creating an opportunity for good female footballers to be discovered. It is amazing there is no single female academy in the country. I want to be among the final 15 because I want to be at the Under-17 female world cup next year. I want to be like Kanu.”
16-year old Anthony Nwaribeaku couldn't hide his joy at the opportunity on offer at the Airtel Rising Stars Tournament. According to the SS1 student of Rebecca Model College, Ajegunle- Apapa, “This is a future plan for Nigeria with budding players being given opportunities. There is hope for our future. Thank you to Airtel for organizing this kind of Tournament. They are the best.”
Meanwhile the Lagos Open Camp continues till Saturday, September 3, 2011. On the other hand, Kanu Nwankwo will on Friday September 2, 2011 take his football clinic train to Imo State for the Owerri Regional Open Camp at Sam Mbakwe Stadium, Owerri.
The Open Camp, a preliminary stage of the tournament which started on August 18, is in its last lap. Other Open Camps have been held in Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Jos in the first week; Kano, Kaduna and Gombe, in the second week.
Speaking on the Airtel Rising Stars, Chief Operating Officer, Deepak Srivastava said “Airtel is desirous of assisting Nigeria in the areas of youth empowerment and development”, noting that “giving the youth an opportunity to discover and develop their football talent through ARS, was a major step in that direction”.
He said, 'bringing Kanu Nwankwo to interact with the kids was a major strategy to boost the confidence of these kids as they meet face to face with their footfall idol.”
The Airtel Rising Stars is an initiative of Airtel Africa, designed to give a unique opportunity to boys and girls under 17 years of age, to develop, demonstrate and trade their football talents from August 18 to October 2011.
Airtel Rising Stars (ARS) provides a platform for upcoming soccer talents under 17 years of age, both male and female, to showcase their skills to leading scouts and coaches. Industry observers have termed it 'a unique innovation and a clear statement of the company's policy as an equal opportunity and non-discriminatory player.'
Major features of the ARS include skill-demonstration; ball-handling, footwork and positioning; ball receiving and shooting technique. Others include: getting shape and distance; individual work on proper technique; mental skills session; communication workshop, life skills; team matches and football clinic with Kanu Nwankwo, among others.
At the end of the two-day closed camp, 15 boys and 15 girls from each of the zones will be selected for the National Championship in Lagos. After a 3-day competition involving the eight teams in each category, three most valuable players in each category will proceed to South Africa in October for a soccer boot camp and also for further training and development at the prestigious Institute for Sports
The best team of the tournament at the national championship will be rewarded with a cash prize of One Million naira (N1,000,000), the second best with Five Hundred Thousand naira (N500,000) while the third best will receive three hundred thousand naira (N300,000) coupled with individual honours and rewards.