Victor Wanyama secures major academy partnership with 22Bet to help shape Kenya’s next generation of football stars

Kenyan football great Victor Wanyama has taken a significant step towards building the country’s next generation of elite players after his foundation signed a new partnership with sports betting company 22Bet to support a football academy aimed at developing young talent.

The agreement, announced in Nairobi on Monday, will see 22Bet become the principal partner of the Victor Wanyama Foundation’s football development programme as preparations continue for the launch of the Wanyama Football Academy later this month in Busia County.

The partnership, signed for an initial two-year period with an option to renew, forms part of 22Bet’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme and is expected to provide financial and institutional support to help identify, nurture and prepare promising young Kenyan footballers for professional careers.

Wanyama believes the project can help address one of the biggest challenges facing football development in Kenya by shortening the difficult pathway many talented youngsters face in their pursuit of opportunities abroad.

“Our aim is to make the pathway shorter so that our youngsters can get the same facilities that Europe provides so that when they leave here, they are familiar and there is no culture shock,” Wanyama said as the launch of the partnership with 22Bet on Monday.

The former Harambee Stars captain explained that his vision extends far beyond building another football academy.

Instead, he hopes to create an environment where talented youngsters receive the same standard of coaching, facilities and preparation enjoyed by players in some of Europe’s leading football nations.

For Wanyama, the project is deeply personal

Having risen from humble beginnings to become the first Kenyan to play in the English Premier League, he recalled the obstacles he had to overcome during his own journey to the top.

“We did not have these opportunities when we started. I played barefoot and in the streets. There was no one to scout me and I believe we can do this and create more Wanyamas and Marigas to get great players who can help us to play in the next World Cups.”

The academy, which is nearing completion in Busia County, is expected to become a centre for identifying and developing young players from across Kenya.

While the first intake will focus primarily on boys’ football, Wanyama revealed that the long-term vision includes expanding opportunities for female footballers as well as providing education and specialist training for young Kenyan coaches.

The project also plans to scout talented youngsters from Nairobi and other parts of the country, giving promising players access to high-quality coaching and development programmes under Wanyama’s leadership.

According to the former Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton midfielder, the academy is approximately 80 percent complete, with work on the playing surface among the final stages before its official opening.

“Our problem in Kenya is that the pathway is long so this partnership means accelerating that pathway. We don’t want players starting from the fourth division [when they go abroad]. We want a situation where our players start at a higher level so that they are not shocked when they get to Europe,” he added.

The partnership is also being viewed as an investment in the future of Kenyan football beyond individual player development.

22Bet Country Manager Joash Ajuoga said the company saw Wanyama’s project as an opportunity to make a lasting impact at grassroots level while helping nurture future stars capable of representing both Kenya and Africa on the biggest stages.

“If you walk first, you walk alone but if you want to walk far, you walk with others. We want to reach the grassroots and we feel partnering with Wanyama will help us do that and help us nurture many talents in Kenya,” said Ajuoga.

He believes the collaboration has the potential to change the country’s football landscape over the coming years.

“Our dream is to have a nominee in the Ballon d’Or or even the winner coming from this part of the world and partnering with Victor and his foundation will ensure his initiatives in the country, region and in Africa are successful. We want to see the impact on society which will be a win for the community, Victor and us all.”

Wanyama remains one of Kenya’s most decorated footballers, having enjoyed an illustrious career with Celtic, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, CF Montréal and the Harambee Stars.

Now, following his retirement from professional football, the 33-year-old is turning his attention to creating opportunities for those following in his footsteps.

With the academy set to open its doors in the coming weeks, Wanyama hopes the initiative will become a production line for future Kenyan internationals and inspire a new generation capable of taking the country back onto Africa’s biggest stages — and ultimately helping Kenya realise its long-held ambition of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup.