Next Stars FC fret over Sweden trip due to lack of funding

The squad, which brings together some of the country's most promising young footballers, features players from across Kenya including Mombasa, Machakos and Nairobi.

While approximately 80 per cent of the team is based in Nairobi, the club's mission has been to identify and develop elite youth talent countrywide.

The team is however fretting over their trip to Sweden as they have not secured funding from the Ministry of Sports.

The club is appealing to well-wishers, businesses, sponsors, and football supporters to help make the journey possible for the young athletes after the government remained non-committal to fund the trip.

“This is a great opportunity for the players to get international football exposure, get seen by scouts and this is the right age,” said the club’s head coach Titus Mulema.

The Next Stars programme was established to provide talented young players with high-level development opportunities and international exposure.

The club hopes participation in tournaments such as Aroscupen will help its players continue improving their skills while gaining valuable experience against top youth teams from around the world.

“Right now we are getting the boys ready for many international football competitions so that they will be ready for the international football market,” added Mulema.

The long-term vision is ambitious. Next Stars plans to attend the Sweden tournament annually, alongside other domestic and international competitions, creating pathways for young Kenyan players to progress into professional football and potentially represent Kenya at the highest levels.

“We’ve trained and trained and prepared. We got our visas, we organized our accommodation and transportation and the team spirit is high. The only difficulty is the financing.”

The quality of talent within the squad has already begun attracting attention. One of the club's players recently earned a call-up to train with Kenya's U15 national team setup, highlighting the potential that exists within the group.

With departure day fast approaching, the team remains hopeful that increased public awareness will generate the support needed to send the players to Sweden and allow them to represent Kenya on the international stage.