Junior Starlets to receive handsome rewards if they qualify for FIFA U-17 World Cup

The Ministry of Sports has promised to handsomely reward the national Under-17 women football team, if and when they defeat Burundi and qualify for the 2024 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic.

Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba says the rewards package will be accompanied by elaborate preparations to ensure the Junior Starlets leave a mark at the global showpiece.

CS Ababu was among a team of senior government officials and sports stakeholder who received the heroic team at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Monday afternoon, when they landed from Ethiopia.

“When we qualify for the World Cup, these girls would be going to the tournament not just to add up numbers, not just to participate, but to compete against the very best in the world. Remember that the World Cup is a 16-team tournament consisting of the very best in the world,” said Ababu.

He added that, “Africa would have only three teams, and if we qualify we’ll be only one of the three from this continent, it’s a big deal.”

Junior Starlets have a healthy 3-0 advantage from the first leg of the fourth and final round of qualifiers against Burundi, played at Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa.

CS Namwamba insisted the team’s exploits stem from the structures the government has put in place, including the Talanta Hela program, which has nurtured great talent.

“If you invest in Kenyan talent, the country will reap benefits. That’s the whole sense of the Talanta Hela initiative, that if you invest in talent development, then the young people themselves will reap big for themselves, for their families, communities, and the country will also benefit,” noted CS Namwamba.   

They host Burundi on Sunday, June 16, 2024 at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi.

Starlets need to win by any margin or draw, but avoid defeat of three or more goals to write history as the first Kenya national team ever to reach the global tournament.