Six Airtel Rising Stars from Ghana, comprising four boys and two girls, have joined their counterparts from other countries where Airtel operates in a coaching clinic as part of their package for participating in the just-ended Airtel Rising Stars Tournament. The coaching clinic, which commences today, October 24 2011 and is expected to end on October 28, 2011, will host talented youngsters from four African countries where Airtel operates namely Zambia, Nigeria, Uganda and Ghana. For many of the students, who arrived in Cape Town yesterday, this trip marks their first time travelling outside their home countries. The Airtel Rising Stars is an Africa-wide initiative that seeks to provide a platform for upcoming soccer talents under the age of seventeen (17) to showcase their football skills to leading scouts and coaches so they can have an opportunity to further a career in football. During a courtesy call on management and staff of Airtel Ghana at the Airtel Ghana offices a day before their departure, the Managing Director of Airtel Ghana, Philip Sowah, explained that the Airtel Rising Stars programme was designed to support rising talent across all Airtel markets in Africa by providing them with a real platform to gain football skills and ultimately to become stars. "Our focus as a business is not only to make profit but also to empower people in the society", he added. Mr. Sowah advised the six youngsters to embark on the trip with a mindset to listen, learn and return to impart their knowledge to others. He urged them not to down-play the need for them to be studious but to try to effectively combine their studies with football. Commenting on the importance of programmes such as Airtel Rising Stars, Obinna Aniche, General Manager, Brand Assets, Airtel Africa said: “This phase of Airtel Rising Stars is perhaps one of the most important in the tournament. It is through the football clinics that Airtel follows through on its promise to not only nurture talent in Africa, but to develop it, too. We have a lot of great players on our continent; workshops like this give these players a chance to get take their talent to the next level.” Facilitated by the Forward Zone, the camp aims to develop the talent of the students through a week long training session that comprises both technical skill-building and general health and wellness coaching. “We believe that becoming a great football player takes a lot more than just technical ability,” explained Ashley Kotzin, CEO, Forwardzone. “The camp will give these students an opportunity to enrich their skills, and develop them into complete professionals.” The kick-off event held at the Sunning dale sports facility in Cape Town was preceded by a morning warm-up training session that allowed the coaches to familiarize themselves with the skill level of the players. Aside from technical training sessions and workshops, the players will also have the opportunity to visit the world famous Robben Island and Table Mountain – the landmark of Cape Town. In addition, they will get the chance to attend a game between two high profile Premier soccer league (PSL) teams, Santos and Maritzbug United.