WorldRemit and Arsenal celebrate first female Future Stars winner

Online money transfer company WorldRemit and Arsenal Football Club welcomed the winners of the 2019 Future Stars competition to London.

Sponsored by WorldRemit, Chinasa Mandy Ukandu from Nigeria was one of two winners who won an all expenses paid trip to London to take part in a personalised training programme with Arsenal Football Development coaches. The weeklong programme is designed to help Future Stars coaches to assist the children they coach to develop life skills both on and off the pitch.

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.

Arriving in London Chinasa enjoyed a week of scheduled activities including attending the Arsenal Vs Manchester City football game, an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the renowned Emirates Stadium, personalised theory coaching sessions with Arsenal Football Development Coaches followed by a practical session where they had the opportunity to lead a coaching session with children from Arsenal in the Community.  The winners also spent a day in the WR offices meeting staff and WorldRemit co-founder, Catherine Wines.

Chinasa commented: “I can never forget how the WorldRemit and Arsenal Future Stars programme made me feel. I have been influenced, encouraged and edified so I am ready to duplicate this attitude to others.”

WATCH CHINASA VIDEO > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USnB1bYrvXI

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 who use sport to make a difference to the lives of the young people they train.”

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 hope this experience will support Chinasa to amplify her contributions to grassroots football in Nigeria even further.”

About the Future Stars Programme

Chinasa was among eight finalists, four men and four women, who were selected by a panel of judges from WorldRemit and Arsenal Football Development for their commitment to using football to empower young people to benefit their communities. Almost 40,000 votes were cast in less than three weeks – Chinasa received the highest number of votes among the female finalists, making her the first ever female to win the competition.

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.

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