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Kanu Soccer Academy to train 400 young Nigerians in Canada

By Gowon Akpodonor
11 March 2016   |   3:54 am
Former Super Eagles striker, Nwankwo Kanu has devised another means of helping young Nigerians achieve their dreams in football.
Kanu Nwankwo in his playing days…His Soccer Academy is set to train 400 Nigerian children in Canada

Kanu Nwankwo in his playing days…His Soccer Academy is set to train 400 Nigerian children in Canada

Ronaldo de Lima, Thierry Henry to entertain kids from Africa, Asia, Europe, America

Former Super Eagles striker, Nwankwo Kanu has devised another means of helping young Nigerians achieve their dreams in football.

From August 1, 2016, kids from all over the world, (U-11 and U-18) will converge in Alliston ON, Toronto, Canada, for the first Residential Soccer camp being put together by the Kanu Soccer Academy.

The camp which has been divided into two phases will see over kids from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas go through intensive soccer training, moral and educational lessons.

The children will also be exposed to modern training methods, come in contact with their counterparts from other cultures and interact with soccer greats, particularly Kanu Nwankwo’s contemporaries during the active years of his illustrious career.

Players like Thierry Henry, Denis Bergkamp, Didier Drogba, Patrick Viera, and Ronaldo de Lime are some of the former stars to take on the kids. Each kid is to pay $6,000.

Co-ordinator of the camp, Abi Goodman told The Guardian in Lagos yesterday that the first phase of the camp would last from August 1–14, while the second phase holds from August 15–28, 2016.

“It will afford the participating kids the opportunity to see modern football facilities, good training and good exposure,” she said, adding, “It is an avenue to sell Nigeria to the international community because the camp’s success would rub off positively on the image of the country.”

A director of the Kanu Academy, Yusuf Chidama said, “the programme will provide a platform for the kids to exhibit their skills and, perhaps, further their careers in football. It is an opportunity for them to be noticed on an international platform.”

The chief executive of the Kanu Heart Foundation, Pastor Onyebuchi Abia, who is also involved in the programme said honing skills in kids was not new to the Kanu Soccer Academy.

“Four years ago, the Kanu Heart Foundation started a programme with Greensprings Schools and it was a huge success as most of the kids travelled abroad and played against children from other similar academies.

“We are not new to handling kids. The likes of Kelechi Nwakali, who just signed for Arsenal passed through the Kanu Soccer Academy. So far, the responses we have been getting are encouraging,”Abia said.

 

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