Midfilder Joan Ogola of Junior Starlets of Kenya (right) vying for the ball with Ethiopia defender Mahelet Mitiku during the 2024 Fifa Under-17 Women's World Cup qualifier match at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi.
If you have hope in surplus and are looking for a place to place it, try the Junior Starlets. This team is made up of girls aged no more than 17 years. This weekend, they will launch their campaign for a place at the Under 17 World Cup, which will be played in the Dominican Republic in October this year.
Yes, you heard that right. That’s the World Cup and Kenya in the same sentence. And I'm asking you to place a bet on the Kenyans. No, I didn’t forget myself. I know, I know. There is nothing groundbreaking that would suggest that Kenya’s performance at that level is about to change for the better. No modern, world-class facility has recently been built for the benefit of these teenagers, and the team has not undergone any intense incubation or special talent development over the years that would make one believe that they are suddenly World Cup material.
