Gihisi Sports Centre on quest to empower youth through football

Gihisi Sports Centre, a football academy based in Nyanza District, aims to become a beacon of light in Rwanda football development. Created in 2006, the facility currently counts over 1,500 youths who have been impacted by the facility. But, according to Secretary General Frederic Ntirenganya, “This is only the beginning.” Not only does the facility aspire to have one of the top football academies in the country, but they are also involved in prevention of delinquency and teenage pregnancy, promotion of education and peace building, and youth empowerment. Youngster Siradji Iradukunda, a member of the national team that finished third at the 2019 Cecafa U15 Championship in Eritrea, is a product of the academy. “We want to be one of the leading sports organisations in the country, but more importantly we want to give purpose and [good] direction to children who train from our centre,” Ntirenganya told Times Sport in a telephone interview. “Football is an integral part, but we do more than just football. We also have social inclusion programmes for underprivileged children, especially girls.” The age bracket for football trainees at the centre starts from 6 to 17 years, but the age-limit for other educational and life skill programmes is 23. “Rwanda does not lack football talent, we only lack qualified trainers and academies where they can be scouted, nurtured and turned into professional footballers. We, at Gihisi Training Centre, are playing our part in bridging that gap,” Ntirenganya further noted. Even with limited means, Ntirenganya says, the centre is doing its best but the social impact would be greater if more partners came on board to support the initiative. Rwanda international Ange Mutsinzi, also a center-back at APR, and Rayon Sports defender Eric Irambona are some of the star players who were raised from the Nyanza-based centre.