Airtel Football
Airtel Rising Stars is a youth football initiative undertaken by Airtel Africa. This programme, launched in 2011 is a soccer talent programme that aims to focus on identifying and nurturing budding soccer talent from the grassroots onto an international stage. The programme targets both boys and girls between the ages of 13 – 17. The boys and girls are encouraged to form teams and register at selected locations including Airtel shops where they are then entered into the tournament on qualification.
History
Airtel Rising Stars was launched in 2011 in 15 countries in Africa. These are 15 out of the 17 African countries that Airtel has operations in. Airtel Rising Stars runs in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, DRC, Niger, Madagascar and Gabon.
In 2011 each of the countries produced a top boys winning team and a top girls winning team (except in Niger and Madagascar which had boys teams only.) In addition to this, each country selected, throughout the tournament, top 3 – 6 players who proceeded to attend a 1 week football clinic by professional football coaching staff.
In 2011, Airtel partnered with Manchester United Football Club to enhance and support the Airtel Rising Stars programme. This 4 year partnership is extended into 11 of the 15 countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazaville, DRC, Niger, Madagascar and Gabon). This partnership culminates every year with the top 3 – 6 players in each of the countries being inducted in a 1 week football training camp run by Manchester United Soccer Schools. In 2011 these took place in Tanzania and Gabon.
The other 4 countries (Nigeria, Zambia, Uganda and Ghana) attended a football camp by professional football coaches from Forward Zone in South Africa.
This year (2012) an additional element has been introduced; there will be an inter country tournament where each country will have their top boys team and top girls team battle it out in the Africa Airtel Rising Stars Championship, set for end of August 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Sponsorship
Airtel Rising Stars is a 100% initiative of Airtel across Africa. However, in each country, the programme attracts sponsorship / support from other organizations and corporates e.g. Samsung in Ghana is giving away phones as part of the prizes to best players in each match, GlaxoSmithKline is giving away Lucozade in Nigeria, Tanzania and Kenya, Nestle giving hot morning tea in Tanzania, Multi-Media Group and Happy FM as media sponsors in Ghana, Zodiak Radio in Malawi, etc.
Tournament Structure
In each county, the Airtel country office partners with local football federations / governing bodies to work out the tournament structure. They either adopt a league format or a tournament format depending on the structure and depth of football in the country.
Winners
- Airtel Rising Stars 2011
Opco |
Website |
Winning Boys Team Name |
Winning Girls Team Name |
Name of Winners attending Soccer Clinic(Boys) |
Position Played |
Name of Winners attending Soccer Clinic(Girls) |
Position Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burkina Faso |
Kada School |
Etincelle |
Jean Zongo-Kada School |
Striker |
Nafissatou Tassembedo-Amazones |
Striker |
|
Kassoum Barro-Kiko FC |
Striker |
Bienvenue Ouedrago-Etincelle |
Striker |
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Chad |
CFAF |
Bechir Hassan Mahamat - Club Africain |
Mid Fielder |
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Acheickh Moussa Hassaballah - Ibnousina |
Mid Fielder |
N/A |
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Congo B |
Abasha Baba Hamed - JSP |
Mid Fielder |
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Mouanda Clide Laurel - Vis ta Vie |
Striker |
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DRC |
AJ Kimbangu |
OCL City |
Mujinga Ntambwe |
Ngonda Ndala Odilon |
|||
Ndombele Buanga Patrick |
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Gabon |
Olympiqoue De Mbaya |
Semi Red Star |
Mbadouma Jude - Omoye FC |
Bouyi Flora - Semi Red Star |
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Mikama Junior Joseph - Foot Academy |
Boudima Judrisca - Semi Red Star |
||||||
Ghana |
Bhong Ahafo |
Fabulous Ladies |
Acadio Sicher Awuah - Brong Ahafo |
Mid Fielder |
Priscilla Okyere - Ashanti |
Midfielder |
|
Amos Addai - Ashanti |
Mid Fielder |
Joyce Bahh - Western |
Defender |
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Azeed Nurudeen - Upper West |
Striker |
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Daniel Abaah - Upper East |
Mid Fielder |
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Kenya |
Gekomani High School |
Bishop Njenga High School |
Naim Ashraf-Nbi Milimani School |
Striker/Midfielder |
Naomi Njenga - Matuu Memorial school |
Forward |
|
Mzee Ali Rama - Tononoka High |
Mid Fielder |
Emily Auma - Jera Secondary school |
Striker/Midfielder |
||||
Madagascar |
Red Bulls FC |
FC School |
Nomena Luciano Bernadin- FC Zandrikely |
Midfielder |
Ravoninjatovi Arison- FC Viva Team |
Fullback |
|
Malawi |
Linga Community Secondary School |
Ndirande Community Day Secondary School |
Amid Mapiri-Likangala Secondary school |
Central Defender |
Chimwemwe Billy -Ndirande secondary school |
Central Mid Fielder |
|
Niger |
Niamey Team |
Maman Kabirou Souleymane - Niamey Team |
Midfielder |
N/A |
|||
Ismael Hamissou Dan Barto - Agadez's Team |
Midfielder |
||||||
Nigeria |
Gombe |
Port Harcourt |
Chibuzor Obasi- Owerri |
Midfielder |
Onwuana Ngozi- Owerri |
Forward |
|
Adamu Abubakar- Gombe |
Goal Keeper |
Josephine Mathias- Kaduna |
Mid Fielder |
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Muri Lawal - Port-Harcourt |
Forward |
||||||
Sierra Leone |
Mount Auroel Pizzo FC |
Suba United |
Hamza Kamara- 13th Legion FC |
Midfielder |
Mariatu Conteh- Suba United |
Striker |
|
Patrick Gbenda- Makidi stars |
Midfielder |
Rashidatu Kamara- Red Eaglets |
Midfielder |
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Tanzania |
Morogoro |
N/A |
Graham Naftali- Morogoro Secondary School |
Centre Forward |
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Samir Omar-Taqwa Secondary School |
Mid Fielder |
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Denis Richard-Jitegemee Secondary School |
Goalkeeper |
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Charles John-Mwembesongwa Secondary School |
Defender |
N/A |
|||||
Selemani Bofu- Makongo Secondary School |
Left/Right Winger |
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Kassim Jungu- Sua Secondary School |
Left/Right Winger |
||||||
Uganda |
Kampala Junior Team KAMPALA JUNIOR TEAM |
GHADAFFI INTERGRATED ACADEMY |
Kato Kelvin- Kampala Junior Team |
Forward |
Nakayenze Yadaya - Chrisc FC Mbale |
Forward |
|
Nsubuga Fashwiya - CRO |
Mid-Fielder |
Queen Lukia- Mbugu Girls FC |
Forward |
||||
Zambia |
North Western Province |
N/A |
Robinson Mwitwa-Lusaka Province |
Goalkeeper |
N/A |
||
Paul Mukokili- North Western Province |
Midfielder |
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Patrick Locha- Luapula Province |
Central Defender |
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Eliot Daka- Copper Belt Province |
Left Back Defender |
||||||
Kelvin Muyamba- North Western Province |
Striker |
- Airtel Rising Stars 2012
To be announced...
Awards
The prizes vary in each country. There are standard prizes of trophies and medals given to the top 3 teams for both boys and girls, with certificates of participation also issued to individual players. Teams in the different countries also receive cash awards of varying amounts, specific to each country.
CSR
We have a CSR initiative in each country, referred to as Goals for Education. The teams that make it to the national level of the tournament in each country are entitled to at US $100 per goal for every goal scored at that national level.