Denmark enrols 14 Young Tanzanian footballers at the newly established sports academy in Meru

A total 14 candidates from Arusha and Dar-es-salaam have started full-time training at the Tanzanian branch of Young Boys Academy which is based in Denmark.

The first batch of students involve 12 boys from Arusha and 2 youngsters from Dar-es-salaam all undergoing sports scholarship training at the Young Boys Academy’s sports center in Ngongongare area of Meru, in Arusha region.

“We opened the center this January 2024 dealing with young students aged between 8 to 12 years from class 4 to 7 though we have two candidates that have just been enrolled in Form One,” said Richard Pallangyo, the director of Young Boys Academy in Tanzania.

The two attend Ilanga Secondary School in Meru District under special sponsorship by the center.

Pallangyo explained that the talent spotting and recruitment was conducted in December 2023.

In association with the Silver Leaf Academy of Usa-River, the Young Boys institute works to recruit and groom young Tanzanian footballers preparing them for international events.

The Arusha institution is intended to be a hybrid institution, combining academic knowledge and sports training, according to Holger Kristiansen the founder of Young Boys FD, the Denmark professional football club based in Silkeborg.

As for the Tanzanian Director, the center aims at taking on board more than 48 students between 2024 and 2026 in addition to the pioneering 14 enlisted this year.

“We have selected 14 forerunner candidates to start the academy in 2024, but we shall add 24 others along the way because the target is to create three teams,” explained Pallangyo.

To achieve that, according to the management, the center will also be cooperating with the Future Stars Academy of Arusha in identifying more young talents in Tanzania.

On his part, the Director of Future Stars Academy (FSA), Alfred Itaeli said the initiative is to recruit and groom as many young soccer players as possible so that Tanzania can make a mark in the international football arena.

“Another talent showcase will be staged in July 2024 when new candidates will be selected for the 2025 intake,” said Itaeli, adding that another selection should be realized during the East African Youth Soccer tournament next December.

Previously, Sports Scouts from the Young Boys Academy of Denmark had jetted into the country from Copenhagen in July 2023 to observe and select young talents for full sponsored scholarships for training abroad.