County governments can promote sporting activities at the grass root level and provide young people a platform to nurture their talents, if the counties take up the challenge of setting aside adequate funds annually for this purpose.
This was the call of former Harambee stars Captain Musa Otieno as he expressed concern that county governments can play a vital role in promoting talents of young people at the grassroots so that they can learn early enough that one can earn a living through their talents.
Otieno was speaking at Mahaya grounds in West Asembo Ward of Rarieda constituency where he was conducting a football clinic for Mahaya FC to assist the team to improve on their talents, Otieno said that the grassroots level is thriving with talent but the government has not been keen on supporting them.
Otieno therefore called on the county governments to do more towards sporting activities and support the sports development through nurturing the talents of young people early enough to help them earn a living.
“Infrastructure is the biggest problem we have, once the facilities are available then the youth have a place they can showcase what they have to offer,” said Otieno.
He observed that Kenya’s National Football team, Harambee Stars, has been showing dismal performance in the International scene due to lack of adequate facilities for training, motivation and failure to identify talented footballers from the lower levels.
He therefore called upon the Ministry of Sports to start going into the villages and youth leagues with a mission of talent searching in football and other sports to have good players whose potentials have not been tapped to join the National platforms to restore the nation’s lost sporting glory.
The former captain also challenged ex-football players in the national teams to come down to their communities to share their knowledge and skills with young people to promote their talents and to motivate them.
Mahaya FC Training sponsor Betty Raila said she organized such events as a way of giving back to the community through helping young people to identify their talents at a tender age so that they can be nurtured for future prosperity.
Mahaya FC Team Manager Samwel Odada Omolo says the skills and knowledge the team has acquired through the training will go a long way in helping them move forward with a vision of promoting their talents.
By Calvin Otieno
