EDWIN AND EMMANUEL OKWACH
Edwin and Emmanuel Okwach two talented young football players from Nairobi, Kenya have been selected by World Wide Scholarships (WWS), to attend trials at the AC Milan Technical Centre in Milan this February. The two young players participated in the recent Africa Global Showcase trials in Nairobi in 2022. Both players were selected by WWS scouts and were invited to join the WWS International Academy in South Africa.
The two players, who are also top academic students chose to move to South Africa to join the WWS International Academy for the Hi Performance specialised training. After two months of training the young men are now being called up to attend trials at the AC Milan technical centre - Lombardia Uno, in Itialy.
WWS an organisation that specialises in scouting for young athletic talent and linking it with opportunities around the world to give youngsters the best chance of success, has partnered with top European academies and clubs to select African players to take to trials in Italy, Malta and Spain annually.
Munya Maraire, CEO of WWS, says, “WWS held trials in 15 countries and selected 52 young players who will have the opportunity to attend trials, training camps and play friendly games against international professional academies and clubs. The players selected were from South Africa, Malawi, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Ivory Coast, Uganda and Eswatini and are aged between 11 to 21.
We have been working for some years to develop a consistent pipeline of talent and relationships with top European clubs so that doors are open to our young African talent. Clubs are always looking for great players and we want to make sure that African youngsters have the chance to carve out careers at the top level”
“Those who are selected will go on to international trials with professional clubs. Those who do not make the first round can still find opportunities to be place with prestigious universities in the United States, where they can continue to train with world-class coaches and structures and stand the chance to try again in top European leagues,” he adds.
“Young African players face a number of structural challenges before they can showcase their talent in front of the world’s top clubs and scouts. At WWS, we are here to ensure that the process becomes easier. Exposure to the world’s top clubs and setups will give them an advantage in knowing what levels they need to reach to compete with the world’s best. In time, this will improve the quality of the game at grassroots level in Africa,” says Maraire.
WWS will be further holding open trials at ABSA sports club for 2023 talent starting
February 18th – 19th and finishing February 25th and 26th in Kenya
. Selected players will have the opportunity to be linked to professional clubs and academies in Europe and University scholarships in the USA, Canada and South Africa.
Ends