Victor Wanyama Gives Fresh Update in His Multi-Million Football Academy Project

Harambee Stars legend Victor Wanyama has revealed that a major hurdle in the completion of the Wanyama Football Academy in Nambale, Busia, has now been cleared.

Together with his elder brother, McDonald Mariga, Victor Wanyama has been spearheading the multi-million-dollar project through the Wanyama Foundation, established in 2018 to give back to the community by nurturing future sporting talent.

In an interview on the Pitchside With Tabu Peter podcast, Victor Wanyama noted that earlier challenges had delayed progress, but the latest developments mark a positive step forward in finalising the academy.

Victor Wanyama said that the overall plan for the academy has already been completed, explaining that the main challenge delaying progress was related to the playing surfaces.

He revealed that the playing surfaces required extensive work involving adding large amounts of sand and carefully levelling them to meet the required standards.

Victor Wanyama added that the process is now ongoing and steadily advancing, expressing optimism that the remaining work will be completed soon and the facility will be fully ready.

“I think the structure is done, and the only thing that was giving us a headache was the pitches because we had to fill them with a lot of sand and bring them to the level that is needed, but it's going on now, and hopefully, soon it will be done,” Victor Wanyama said.

The former CF Montreal midfielder explained that the academy’s development will follow a gradual process, stressing that success must be built step by step, from early foundations to full growth.

Victor Wanyama said the project will focus on nurturing young players across different age groups, with structured programmes designed to guide them from the grassroots level towards professional football.

The Celtic FC legend added that the initiative will involve collaboration with both local and international coaches to enhance training methods and share technical knowledge.

He further noted that the goal is to create a mutually beneficial system that improves coaching standards locally while preparing young players to transition smoothly into professional football.

“It's step by step, you know. When you want to start, you can't just run. When you're born, you just don't walk; you crawl first, then you have those baby steps, and then you start walking. We will have under 11, 12, 13, 15 and 17 and try to nurture those kids to be professionals,” he said.

“It will not be easy, but it's something that we are looking to work with outside coaches, also with the local coaches, making sure they get education from outside.

“We want to try and get a win-win situation in terms of giving our local coaches knowledge and also allowing those young players to become better players, to be ready when they turn professional and when they go out there straight away, they can step into the first team.”