DENVER, Aug. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Arsenal and online money transfer service, WorldRemit, are offering one male and one female football coach from the Americas or Africa the chance to attend an exclusive training programme with Arsenal Football Development coaches in London.

Now in its second edition, 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.

Future Stars is free to apply for and open to youth team (under 16s) coaches from across the Americas and Africa. WorldRemit will sponsor two winners, one male and one female, to fly to London for a personalised coaching programme with Arsenal Football Development coaches. Through the programme, 20 shortlisted coaches will be rewarded with Arsenal shirts for their youth squad.

Apply now

Entries are now open on www.futurestars.worldremit.com or via a chatbot on the WorldRemit Facebook page until 4 September. To enter, coaches simply need to complete a short application form explaining why they deserve to be granted this unique training opportunity and how they would use it to build a lasting legacy of positive change through football.

How it works

1.  From the online applications, 20 coaches will be shortlisted to receive Arsenal youth shirts for their team. Applicants will be assessed against the following criteria by a panel of judges including Catherine Wines, Co-Founder at WorldRemit; Simon McManus, Head Coach at Arsenal Football Development; and Marc Thorogood, Business Manager at Arsenal Football Development.

Selection criteria:

• 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

2.  From the shortlist of 20, the judging panel will select eight coaches as finalists – four male and four female.

3.  The eight finalists’ stories will be shared on www.futurestars.worldremit.com and the winners will be chosen based on a public vote on the website.

Dan Canning, Managing Director for North America at WorldRemit, said: “Our customers work hard every day to send money home to support their families and communities. Inspired by them, we developed the Future Stars programme with Arsenal to shine a spotlight on youth community coaches who use their passion for football to build a better future for others.

“The standard of applications for last year’s programme exceeded our expectations. We’re excited to build on this success and celebrate the incredible contributions of male and female coaches from across the Americas and Africa.”

Simon McManus, Head Coach at Arsenal Football Development said: “Community engagement has always been at the heart of everything we do and we continue to work hard to promote greater levels of participation in sport, both in north London and around the world.”

“The Future Stars programme is all about recognising youth coaches across Africa and the Americas who bring communities together and are changing lives through football. We are looking forward to celebrating them and welcoming the two winning coaches to train with us at Emirates!”

Last year’s Future Stars winner was Hamisi Mohamed from Young Talents Soccer Academy. Hamisi founded Young Talents, a mixed academy outside Nairobi, Kenya, to bring young members of his community together and help them avoid falling into tribalism, drug abuse and crime. 

Hamisi said: “Training with Arsenal Football Development was the opportunity of a lifetime. For my own coaching, it was amazing to hear about the Arsenal coaching philosophy and how it can bring teams of all levels together. The exchange of ideas and practices is beneficial for both sides and leads to a higher standard of football at a grassroots level. Good luck to this year’s Future Stars!”

The Future Stars website will open for applications from Wednesday 14 August and applications will be accepted until 23:59 BST on Wednesday 4 September 2019.

About WorldRemit

WorldRemit 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, Colombia, South Africa, Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

About Arsenal Football Club

Arsenal is one of the leading clubs in world football with a strong heritage of success, progressive thinking and financial stability.

The club was founded in 1886 in Woolwich, south London, before moving to Highbury in north London in 1913. We moved to Emirates Stadium in 2006.

Arsenal has an impressive roll of honour: English League Champions 13 times, FA Cup winners a record 13 times, League Cup winners twice and European Cup Winners’ Cup (1994) and European Fairs Cup (1970) winners once. In addition, Arsenal Women are the most successful English club in women’s football. They celebrated their 30th season last year.

The Arsenal Foundation uses the power of football and the Arsenal name to inspire and support young people in north London and across the globe. The Arsenal Foundation raises funds each year and works with a number of key partners including Save The Children, Islington Giving, Willow and the Gunners’ Fund. Locally, Arsenal in the Community has delivered programmes to drive positive social outcomes for more than 30 years.

For further information please visit arsenal.com

Contact: Isabel Bolivar, ibolivar@worldremit.com

SOURCE WorldRemit