Spain here we are

Dreams are valid. Imagine playing in Nairobi for the first time as a teenager. Think about getting scouted from a pool of more than 2000 players and stepping into a city that needs no introduction in the world of football, Barcelona.

This is the incredible story of the first fruits of the state-funded Talanta Hela U-19 Tournament, whose selected players have landed in Spain for the Costa Daurada Cup that kicks off today in the municipality of Taragona, west of Barcelona.

A huge chunk of the players who were scouted from the onset of the inter-county tournament to the regional playoffs in Nyeri and the national finals in Nairobi last December had no idea what was ahead of them. Probably, for them, the Talanta Hela Tournament was just another football tournament where they would come play and go home. Little did they know, this was well scripted by Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba, who is steering the flagship program that is anticipated to ameliorate the Kenyan game to global standards using the much-publicized bottom-up transformational agenda. From Nairobi to Doha, Qatar, and connecting to Barcelona, it has been all smiles for the 19 girls and 20 boys selected for this rare tour of Spain.

A great number of the team is boarding a plane for the first time, but they hope it will be one of many to come. Anxiety and delirium characterized the entire journey, and stepping in Barcelona will surely be a moment difficult to fade away in their minds; it's memorable. Abdul Hafid, an attacking midfielder from Old Town Mombasa it’s a dream half achieved, and the trip will open doors for him to realize his desire to play professional football in Spain for Sevilla.

”It is good exposure, and it will help us showcase our talents in front of many scouts across Europe. I expect this trip to open many doors for me to achieve my childhood dream of playing for Sevilla Football Club. I like the club because they play good football. I have always desired to play in the top leagues in Europe, and I promise to work hard for it,” Hafid told People Sport. The 19-year-old forward, who played for Mombasa County in the inaugural Talanta Hela Tournament, further revealed that he used to tell his friend Abdalla Abaid that one day he (Hafid) would board a plane courtesy of football. Girls team coach Jacklyn Juma also expressed her delight upon landing in Barcelona. “We will live to remember this day; these opportunities are not only rare for Kenyans but even in other countries, especially Africa. We want to take advantage of this and ensure every moment is seized by the players, letting them enjoy knowing that it is a stage that could transform their football careers and their lives at large. 

I would also like to thank the government through CS Ababu for this program, and with such care, we can be sure our game will improve going forward,” said jovial girls team coach Jacklyn Juma.

While in Taragona, the Talanta Hela team will be hosted by the Nastic Sports Academy, which is home to the talented youngsters of Aldrine Kibet, Alvin Kasavuli, and Amos Wanjala, although the latter has graduated to professional football and now with the Gimnastic Football Club, which is also part of the academy. Kenya is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with the academy, and some of the areas being knitted are the scouting of players back home in Kenya and the training of local coaches.

NasticSports Academy General Manager Javier Ornia welcomed the Kenyan boys and girls in Taragona and asked them to make use of the big chance to show off their footballing skills abroad. ”We are very happy because we saw a vision. Our ambition is to provide you with the opportunity to improve your sports abilities in a different and more competitive environment.

We have prepared this trip for you because such competitions are what make you better, and therefore I urge you to give your best whenever you are given a chance to play and showcase your talent. It is a privilege to have this kind of opportunity, and I think probably Kenya is the first African country to have such a project.” The partnership between the Kenya Academy of Sports and the Taragona-based academy is intended to scale the heights of Kenya’s sports to greater levels. CS Ababu has reiterated the need for a robust investment in youths across sports to maximize their potential.

”When I look at France, I have visited the St George training center for England national teams. When you look at Morocco reaching the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup and these other countries doing well on the global stage in football, you can just tell that they don’t perform by magic.

These countries are doing what Kenya has failed to do in 60 years, which is investigating youth programs. There is no short cut to the top; this is the only way,” Ababu said on Friday as he flagged off the team for Spain. The teams participation in the Costa Daurada will be in full glare of scouts from different Spanish academies and from other European clubs. The competition is normally held twice a year, during spring and summer, and involves players from the ages of 9 to senior teams.