Kaloleni’s Pro Soccer Academy breaks new ground
By Charles Thuku, October 7, 2019There is no gainsaying that a good foundation is the basis of every successful endeavour in life.
Everything revolves around a good foundation and it is safe to assume that the same principle applies to the world’s most revered sport, football.
Granted, for a nation to have a great football team, it must invest in its youth by setting up academies because that is where talent lies.
It is at the level of academies that future players are initiated into the intricate details and operations of the game which goes beyond learning the basic passing and dribbling of the ball.
Perhaps to emulate this school of thought, former Gor Mahia striker, the late Zablon “Pro” Otieno, came up with the noble idea to start the Pro Soccer Academy in Kaloleni within the sprawling Eastlands in Nairobi with the venture gaining popularity so much so that it is now attracting the eyes of European agents.
Last weekend marked the turning point of the age-group set-up which was mooted by Otieno in 2013 as agents of Barcelona Youth team oversaw the youngsters training at S. Baze ground in Kaloleni and recorded several positives.
The two agents including Belgian Nicky Leliviere and Spaniard Josep Maria Roma acknowledged the input of the players in the academy under the patronage of Nicodemus ‘Boka’ Ochieng and observed that the deliberate policy to invest in the youth is bound to break even with sound training.
“Africa is endowed with talent and what we have seen here is amazing. Football is full of rigours but the players who are learning the ropes should not give up but rather continue working hard if they are to make it,” said Leliviere.