Chinasa Ukandu from Nigeria and Luis
Alejandro Castañeda from Colombia win the WorldRemit and Arsenal “Future Stars”
coaching programmeThe youth football coaches will fly to London for a personalised
training session with Arsenal Football Development coachesLONDON, United Kingdom,
November 15, 2019/ — Online money transfer company WorldRemit (www.WorldRemit.com)
and Arsenal today announce that Chinasa Ukandu from Nigeria and Luis Alejandro
Castañeda from Colombia are the winners of the 2019 Future Stars coaching programme.
The two youth coaches will now prepare to travel to London for a personalised
training session with Arsenal Football Development coaches, and their trip will be
sponsored by WorldRemit.
Chinasa and Luis were among eight finalists, four women and four men, who were
selected by a panel of judges from WorldRemit and Arsenal for their commitment to
using football to empower young people and benefit their communities.
They emerged as the winners following a public vote on
www.FutureStars.WorldRemit.com. Almost 40,000 votes were cast in less than three
weeks – Chinasa received the highest number among the female coaches and Luis
received the highest number among the male finalists.
About Future Stars
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.
Now in its second edition, the Future Stars programme received over 1,400
applications this year from across Africa and the Americas.
The Future Stars winners
Chinasa Ukandu – Chinasa coaches boys and girls aged 5 to 16. Together with her
friends, she helps provide young people with an opportunity to develop football and
life skills at Help The Talent Academy in Lagos State. She completed phase three of
the Premier Skills Coach Educators Course (an initiative by the English Premier
League and British Council) in 2015.
Chinasa commented: “I’m so excited to win the training session in London and can’t
wait to meet the Arsenal Football Development coaches. I love a challenge and will
use this global coaching opportunity to take new skills back to Nigeria and give
back to my community.”
Luis Alejandro Castañeda – Luis is a volunteer coach for a blind boys’ football team
from Bogotá and the surrounding area. The team was set up by his father, who is
blind, 20 years ago to help young people develop their mobility and independence.
Luis said: “I’m so grateful to WorldRemit and Arsenal for this opportunity. I’ve
always dreamed of travelling to London and will use the experience of training with
Arsenal Football Development to help develop and raise awareness of Paralympic sport
in Colombia and even globally.”
Andrew Stewart, Managing Director Middle East & Africa at WorldRemit said: “At
WorldRemit, we are inspired every day by our customers, who work hard to send money
home to support their communities.
“Through our partnership with Arsenal and the Future Stars programme, we are
delighted to celebrate the stories of inspiring individuals such as Chinasa and
Luis, who use sport to make a difference to the lives of the young people they
train. Congratulations to the winners and our team looks forward to welcoming you to
London!”
Simon McManus, Head Coach at Arsenal Football Development, said: “Through our
programmes in London and across the globe, our Football Development coaches are
dedicated to helping set young players up for success both on and off the pitch.
“The Future Stars winners’ work within their communities shows just how powerful
football can be and the importance of promoting diversity within the sport. We are
excited to meet Chinasa and Luis and support them in amplifying their contributions
to grassroots football in Nigeria and Colombia even further.”Distributed by APO
Group on behalf of WorldRemit. Notes to editors:
Applications to the Future Stars programme were judged on the following criteria by
a panel of judges from WorldRemit and Arsenal:• 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 if they win the programme
About WorldRemit:
WorldRemit (www.WorldRemit.com) is changing the way people send money. It’s easy –
just open the app or visit the website – no more agents, no more queues.
• Send money 24/7 from 50 to 150 countries.
• More ways to receive money (mobile money, bank transfer, cash pickup, and mobile
airtime top-up).
• Our award-winning customer service team are available to help 24/7.
• Over 125,000 5-star reviews for our app.
• Backed by Accel, TCV and Leapfrog – early investors in Facebook, Netflix and
Slack.
WorldRemit’s global headquarters are in London, UK with offices in the United
States, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, Australia and New
Zealand.
About Arsenal Football Club:
Arsenal Football Club (www.Arsenal.com) was born when a group of workers at Dial
Square armaments factory in Woolwich, notably exiled Scotsman David Danskin and Jack
Humble, decided to form a football team to break the monotony of factory life.
Since that Dial Square team played its first match against Eastern Wanderers in
1886, Arsenal has gone on to become one of London’s most successful football clubs
and one of the most famous names in modern football with millions of passionate
followers worldwide.
Steeped in history and tradition, Arsenal Football Club has thrived on a pioneering
and innovative spirit that has existed throughout its 133 years in existence. While
society and football may have changed during this time, Arsenal has always served to
create a sense of community for people in north London, across the UK and around the
world.
