Arsenal and WorldRemit launch second edition of Future Stars

Two community football coaches, one male, and one female will attend an exclusive training programme with Arsenal Football Development coaches in London.

English Premier League giants Arsenal and online money transfer service, WorldRemit are offering one male and one female football coach from Africa or the Americas the chance to attend an exclusive training programme with Arsenal Football Development coaches in London.

Now in its second edition, the “Future Stars” programme was developed by WorldRemit and Arsenal to celebrate the positive impact that grassroots youth football coaches have on their communities, helping the children they train to develop life skills both on and off the pitch.

Future Stars is free to apply for and open to youth team (under 16s) coaches from across Africa and the Americas. WorldRemit will sponsor two winners, one male and one female, to fly to London for a personalised coaching programme with Arsenal Football Development coaches. Through the programme, 20 shortlisted coaches will be rewarded with Arsenal shirts for their youth squad.

Apply now

Entries are now open on https://www.FutureStars.WorldRemit.com/ or via a chatbot on the WorldRemit Facebook page (http://bit.ly/2ZeBf5O) until 4 September. To enter, coaches simply need to complete a short application form explaining why they deserve to be granted this unique training opportunity and how they would use it to build a lasting legacy of positive change through football.

How it works

1. From the online applications, 20 coaches will be shortlisted to receive Arsenal youth shirts for their team. Applicants will be assessed against the following criteria by a panel of judges including Catherine Wines, Co-Founder at WorldRemit; Simon McManus, Head Coach at Arsenal Football Development; and Marc Thorogood, Business Manager at Arsenal Football Development.

Selection criteria:

• The commitment of the coach to improving the lives of their community
• The impact the coach has had on young people within their community
• The strength of the coach’s proposal to pass on their training on their return home

2. From the shortlist of 20, the judging panel will select eight coaches as finalists – four male and four female.

3. The eight finalists’ stories will be shared on https://www.FutureStars.WorldRemit.com/ and the winners will be chosen based on a public vote on the website.

Andrew Stewart, Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa at WorldRemit, said: “Our customers work hard every day to send money home to support their communities. Inspired by them, we developed the Future Stars programme with Arsenal to shine a spotlight on youth community coaches who use their passion for football to build a better future for others.

“The standard of applications for last year’s programme exceeded our expectations. We’re excited to build on this success and celebrate the incredible contributions of male and female coaches from across Africa and the Americas.”

Simon McManus, Head Coach at Arsenal Football Development said: “Community engagement has always been at the heart of everything we do and we continue to work hard to promote greater levels of participation in sport, both in north London and around the world.”

“The Future Stars programme is all about recognising youth coaches across Africa and the Americas who bring communities together and are changing lives through football. We are looking forward to celebrating them and welcoming the two winning coaches to train with us at the Emirates!”

Last year’s Future Stars winner was Hamisi Mohamed from Young Talents Soccer Academy. Hamisi founded Young Talents, a mixed academy outside Nairobi, Kenya, to bring young members of his community together and help them avoid falling into tribalism, drug abuse and crime.

Hamisi said: “Training with Arsenal Football Development was the opportunity of a lifetime. For my own coaching, it was amazing to hear about the Arsenal coaching philosophy and how it can bring teams of all levels together. The exchange of ideas and practices is beneficial for both sides and leads to a higher standard of football at a grassroots level. Good luck to this year’s Future Stars!”