Nastic Academy: Spanish outfit scouting and poaching top Kenyan football talents

When most people hear Nastic Academy, the name of highly talented Kenyan midfielder Aldrine Kibet who topped the country's sporting chats in 2023 comes to mind.

Indeed, the acquisition of the former St Anthony's midfielder, who lit up the high school ball games with his fancy feet and dribbling skills, signalled the start of a long partnership with Kenya.

Currently, the Nastic Soccer Academy, renowned for nurturing promising talents, boasts the presence of other fledgling Kenyans such as Amos Wanjala, and Allan Kasavuli.

Nastic Academy could have also acquired the services of midfield dynamo Tryon Kariuki but his dreams of joining the Spanish side went up in flames following a disagreement with his Rainbow FC side.

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Details about Nastic Academy

The Nastic Soccer Academy, with its rich history spanning 135 years, has a proud tradition of nurturing top talents.

With its state-of-the-art facilities and a team of elite and experienced coaches, the academy provides the perfect environment for players to further refine their skills and chase their dreams of making it big in European football.

The academy offers players a chance to develop their talents and also grow professionally.

For instance, Amos Wanjala, who could not make it to the U20 assignment in Malawi due to his engagements with the Gimnastic de Tarragona U19 team fighting to secure promotion to La Liga 2, is pursuing Global Sports and Business Management at Nastic Sports University.

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"Define your professional and academic future by boosting all branches of soccer at the Nàstic Sports Academy.

Learn with the best in Tarragona and live the daily experience of elite players while you improve and develop as a professional footballer, opening for yourself all the doors to your future," the Nastic Academy website reads.

"We are professionals, we are your support and we will also be your family. In addition, you will be only 45 minutes from Barcelona and 15 minutes from the beaches of Sitges and Calafell. Get ready to live an unlimited personal and professional experience," it adds.

Other than soccer, the academy offers scholarship opportunities in karting and padel.

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Their Deal With Kenya

In December 2023, Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba hosted Jose Manuel Dias and Javier Sanz - the leaders of the academy - to come and witness the Talana Hela final that was taking place at the Nyayo National Stadium with an eye on identifying and absorbing the best soccer talents.

After the finals, Ababu announced on his social media page that Kenya had agreed to partner with the academy to nurture and develop talent.

"Pleased to host Jose Manuel Dias and Javier Sanz, leaders of the Nastic Soccer Academy (NSA) of Tarragona, Spain who are in Kenya as my guests to grace the Talanta Hela Trophy Finals at Nyayo Stadium today," the Sports Cabinet Secretary wrote.

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“We have agreed on a robust partnership with NSA to grow Kenya's youth football," the CS added.

Before that Ababu had visited the academy to monitor the progress of Kenyan players. During the visit, he highlighted the government's determination to nurture and promote talent.

"We are closely tracking the progress of our boys Aldrine Kibet, Moses Wanjala, Alvin Kasavuli, and Ezekiel Nguwa at Nastic Soccer Academy (NSA) in Tarragona, Spain, and Luis Ingavi at Monteverde Academy in Orlando, Florida USA," shared Ababu.

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New Group Heading to Spain

On Friday, March 22, marked another milestone as Ababu flagged off a group of 80 gifted players set to take part in the prestigious Nastic Soccer Academy invitational tournament in Tarragona.

The team is composed of players selected from a pool of 2,000 players during the Talanta Hela football tournament across the country.

The Tarragona tournament runs from March 24 and the final is set for March 28.

“Go and perform well in Spain, you are now our ambassadors and the pioneers of the Talanta Hela Program. This is a great opportunity for you and you should seize every moment. Go and enjoy and possibly bring home the two cups for both boys and girls,” Ababu told the players travelling to Spain.

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Jose Maria Andrew, the President of Gymnastic Football Club which also owns the Nastic Sports Academy was present during the flag-off ceremony.

Other top officials who attended the flagging-off ceremony included Jose Manuel, international manager for recruitment and Javier Ornia, general manager for Nastic Sports Academy.

The tournament is expected to expose more Kenyan talents to European scouts raising their prospects of plying their trade outside the country.

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