Eldoret: In an effort to nurture football talent in Elgeyo Marakwet County, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) local branch has selected 44 upcoming players aged under 15. The players were identified during a successful tournament dubbed Back to School, held at the Iten Sports Ground.
According to Kenya News Agency, the local FKF Chairman Boaz Kaino stated that the team was selected from around 700 children who participated in the tournament. Kaino mentioned that the players will undergo camp training starting April next year. He added that the federation will assist in placing them in schools that offer sports pathways.
Kaino highlighted that to identify more talents, the federation plans to organize additional tournaments in different sub-counties. These events are scheduled for April and August, culminating in finals in December, which will allow for the inclusion of more teams.
Vice chair Dominic Otieno made an appeal for funding from the county and private companies to facilitate the planned camp in
April. He emphasized the importance of holding training sessions for coaches and encouraged teachers to participate, as they are well-suited to work with children.
The branch FKF Women Representative Fraksline Oyako called for the participation of more women teachers, emphasizing their crucial role in promoting women’s football. She noted the absence of female teams in the recent tournament, attributing it to parents’ reluctance to allow their daughters to participate without a female teacher present.