Airtel Nigeria Limited has revved up the technical depth of the annual Airtel Rising Stars by appointing five Nigerian ex-internationals as technical advisors to the youngsters that would participate in Season Four for which registration commenced June 4.
The technical advisers include ex-Super Eagles players, Mutiu Adepoju, Garba Lawal and Peter Rufai, ex-Super Falcons goal tender, Anne Chiejinne and Olympic Gold medalist, Chioma Ajunwa-Oparah.
They would provide technical assistance to the coaches, discover and help nurture outstanding talents during the screening and zonal competition phases of the project after which they will lead their respective zonal teams to the National Finals in Lagos.
Speaking about the appointment of the technical advisers, the Managing Director and Chief Executive officer, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya said it defines the direction the company is taking the football initiative to while highlighting the importance it attaches to youth development.
“The technical advisers have opted to partner with us because they believe in the project. They will be bringing their collective years of experience to bear on the ARS initiative, and this will assuredly rob off on the youngsters who will be participating. This further confirms our determination to empower the Nigerian youth, especially those on the lower rung for a better future,” he said.
Speaking further, the Airtel Chief Executive said the ARS Football initiative will be built to serve as the foremost pool of football talents for the Nigerian national teams across all ages.
His word, “Without a doubt, football in Nigeria elicits passion, creates fun and engenders unity. Airtel wants to be an integral part of our communities and our association with football has strong elements of creating positive change and engagement. ARS is our contribution to building and sustaining a rich pool of football talents for the Super Eagles and Falcons.”
Meanwhile, the technical advisers have expressed delight in the opportunity to help raise future football talents on the platform of the Airtel Rising Stars U-17 Tournament.
Chioma Ajunwa-Oparah who spoke at the launch said she could not turn down the lure to help raise a new generation of world beaters.
Her words, “I want to thank Airtel for giving me the opportunity to serve on the Airtel Rising Stars football initiative. We need people to take over from us, to start from where we stopped. With the caliber of persons chosen to do this work, I want to assure everyone that we will work to the best of our abilities to ensure the money committed to this project is rewarded in the quality of players we discover and nurture for the national teams.”
In his own remarks, ex-Super Eagles goalie, Peter Rufai commended Airtel for its commitment to developing the younger generation.“I want to thank Airtel for not just coming up with this initiative, but for saving the souls of our younger generation from decadence. The strength of any nation depends on the investment it makes today. The youth are our future strength,” he said.
Beginning with Open Screening Camps in five locations, where the participants will be screened for age compliance and given the opportunity to showcase their talents, the selected male and female teams in each camp will proceed to Lagos to challenge for honors at the National Finals.
The Airtel Rising Stars U-17 Tourney, a unique pan African initiative of Airtel Africa, is designed to provide support for the development of football talents across Nigeria. It aims at discovering talented students (male and female) of secondary school age and providing them the opportunity to gain football skills and develop into renowned stars.
Registration for participation in the season four of the Airtel Rising Stars 4 will run from Wednesday, June 4 to Friday, June 27, 2014 across the country. The registration forms will be available at Airtel Express shops nationwide
