Ligi Ndogo S.C. Academy

Ligi Ndogo Academy

Full name	Ligi Ndogo Soccer Club Academy
Nickname(s)	The Planets, Ligi
Founded	1 January 2002
Ground	Ligi Ndogo Grounds, Nairobi, Kenya
Capacity	2,000
Chairman	Chris Amimo
Head coach	Ibrahim Mbikalo
Home colours Away colours Third colours

The Ligi Ndogo Soccer Club Academy, commonly known as simply Ligi Ndogo, is the youth team of Ligi Ndogo Sports Club, and acts as a feeder program for the senior team. The current academy director and under-17 head coach is Ibrahim Mbikalo.

The academy fields teams from under-9 to under-19 level that participate in various national and international competitions, but also accommodates boys and girls from the age of four upwards. Notable former graduates of the academy include Swedish international John Guidetti and Kenyan international Ayub Masika.

History

The academy was established on 1 January 2002 by current club chairman Chris Amimo and Karani Nyamu. The academy's first season began in February 2002, as just a place for neighbourhood children to go and play some football. Upon discovering that many of the children actually had talent, the administration formed the various age groups found in the academy today and formed a "Planets" team, which consisted of the best players from these age groups, to represent the club at national and international tournaments.^[1]

In 2005, the senior football team was formed with the initiative of current academy director and former senior team coach, Ibrahim Mbikalo and Amimo at the insistence of players Karim Rersa, Mohamed Junaid and Azim Butt. On arrival from a tour of the United Kingdom, the team members found themselves overage and with no category to fill in since the youth academy could only accommodate those below fourteen years of age. Under the guidance of Mbikalo, Ligi Ndogo gained their first honours by winning the Private Secondary Schools' League in 2005, and played in the Kiko Cup towards the end of the year, crashing out through a 3–2 loss to Kibera Combined on spot kicks.

Structure

A Kenyan news report done on the Ligi Ndogo Academy.

The academy's program is divided into three seasons each calendar year: January–April, May–August and September–December, with a typical season lasting 10 to 12 weeks. Apart from being a football school with several semi-professional coaches on the payroll, the academy fielded an internal league season at each age level with regular matches, training sessions and tournaments. Upon registration, players are evaluated and placed in teams which are categorized based on age and skill level:

• "Atoms" – ages 4 to 6
• "Juniors" – ages 8 to 10
• "Lower Mids" – ages 10 to 12
• "Upper Mids" – ages 13 to 14

These categories are further divided into teams named after the planets of the solar system. The atoms have five teams: Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Neptune and Suns. The juniors have Neptune, Mars, Jupiter and Pluto while the Mids have Jupiter and Neptune. A formal program is also offered where parents can get involved as referees, linesmen, team parents, team sponsors, handlers and cheerleaders.

As the Football Kenya Federation does not organize national youth leagues in Kenya, teams from the academy regularly compete in the Keele International Cup (formerly the Umbro International Cup), which has been won before by the academy's various teams, as well as various tournaments within the country. Players from the academy have attracted attention from professional football clubs such as Crystal Palace, Everton and Liverpool.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Notable academy graduates

John Guidetti is a notable former player at the academy, having joined the under-13 team in 2003.^[7][8][9] After leaving in 2005 to return to IF Brommapojkarna, he signed a three-year-deal with Manchester City as a 16-year-old in 2008.

Nat.	Name	Date of birth (age)	Years at academy	Club after academy	Current club^[a]	Source(s)
	Jeremiah Bright	30 May 1993	April 2010–November 2012	Tusker	Ligi Ndogo	[10]
	John Guidetti	15 April 1992	September 2003–December 2005	IF Brommapojkarna	Celta	[11][7][8][9][12]
	Ayub Masika	10 September 1992	January–December 2004	JMJ Academy	Lierse	[11]
	Humphrey Mieno	25 September 1989	February–September 2004	Sofapaka	Tusker	[11]
	Paul Thiong'o	12 August 1995	January–December 2004	Impala	Colligiana	[11][13]

a. ^{^} Current club as of 7 October 2015.

Honours

• Kenya Private Secondary Schools League (1): 2005

References

1. "LIGI NDOGO". Gbs Kenya on YouTube. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
2. "Ligi Ndogo to defend Trophy in Manchester". KenyaFootball.com. 24 July 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
3. "Ogutu set for Liverpool trials". Futaa.com. 6 October 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
4. "Ogutu heads for Liverpool trials". Futaa.com. 23 October 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
5. "Former Ligi Ndogo player Chris Ogutu joins UK Academy". Futaa.com. 14 August 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
6. "Into Africa: LFC in Kenya". Liverpool Football Club (LiverpoolFC.com). 4 November 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
7. "Taking the Toon". Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England). Retrieved July 31, 2013.
8. "Ligi Ndogo's UK Tour". AllAfrica. Retrieved July 15, 2004.
9. "Ligi Ndogo's UK Tour 2004". misterseed. Retrieved August 2004.
10. Timothy Olobulu (16 March 2012). "Jeremiah Bright (profile)". MichezoAfrika.com. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
11. Timothy Olobulu (16 March 2012). "Ligi Ndogo - The unsung heroes of Kenyan soccer". MichezoAfrika.com. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
12. "Ligi Ndogo player signed by Manchester City". KenyaFootball.com. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
13. Paul Thiong'o. "Paul Thiong'o (bio)". paulthiongo.wordpress.com. Retrieved 29 April 2014.

External links

• The Academy at Ligi Ndogo's official website