At a school playground in Eldoret’s Elgon View, a group of 16 boys are effortlessly tackling, dribbling as they display enthralling running back thrills.

The Under-15 boys are taking instructions from a coach as they implement a training programme.

Their focus, the young football talents say, is a tournament in Dubai later this year.

FC Swagger Academy players aged between 10 and 15 years are fresh from Chipukuzi Tournament in Arusha, Tanzania and they are training for the Dubai Gulf Winter Cup 2025 set for December.

Kiptoo Tonui, 10, who has been a player at FC Swagger since when he was six years old, says flying to Dubai and finishing with a good result is his biggest dream this year.

Competing at the Chipukizi Cup in Tanzania was a dream for the youngster but the Dubai contest, he says, will be a major achievement, at his age.

“We have played many local teams among them Eldoret FC and Kimumu, all based in Eldoret as part of the preparations,” says Kiptoo.

FC Swagger, his academy has compartmentalized the squad into Under-15s and Under-13s, and Kiptoo is a captain of the youngest group.

At the Chipukizi Cup in Arusha, FC Swagger was eliminated in the quarter finals, but they say they picked crucial lessons and will do better at the Dubai tournament.

“We play a match every Saturday as part of the preparations for the Dubai Winter Gulf Cup.

“Chipukizi Cup in Tanzania was our first international match and we hope to score more goals and deliver more wins in Dubai. We normally train from 3pm to 5pm during school days and 2pm to 4pm during the holidays,” Kiptoo told Standard Sports during one of their training sessions.

His dream is to play like English Premier League player, Gabriele Magalhaes of Brazil – an Arsenal centre-back.

Tyler Ndung’u, 13, who has always been inspired by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi says they have been refining their football tactics at the Eldoret-based academy, which has been signing up new players since early 2013.

To achieve his gigantic dream of playing in the top tier football in Kenya and internationally, Ndung’u says the Dubai tournament will be a moment for his team to write history.

He is a captain in his category and he believes many friendly matches will help FC Swagger deliver stunning scores in Dubai.

“We have been building on team work and confidence. We have played several friendly matches. We have come out as winners in most of our friendly matches and we hope to improve on our tactics. We are always encouraged by our coaches who push us to the limit,” Ndung’u says.

He adds: “We keep training hard hoping to be spotted to join bigger academies but one day, we hope to be up there, playing at the national league and on the international arena. Although we were knocked out at the quarter finals in Tanzania, the event was our major accomplishment for the team.”

Chane Mambo, captain of the Under-15s, says improving chemistry with teammates has been the major assignment in preparation for the international tournament in December.

At times we play together as different age groups so that the younger ones gain more experience, says Chane.

He says for a big tournament like the Winter Gulf Cup in Dubai, his side takes part in multiple friendlies as they gauge their level of preparedness.

“We have also increased our training sessions to at least four times a week. I am looking up to Harambee Stars player Mohammed Bajaber because our coach has previously trained him. If I meet him (Bajaber) I will ask for some tips because I want to rise to the top,” Chane said.

He went on to say: “School contests happen once in a term but many friendly matches can be organised by academies.”

Coach Brian Dida, who was previously training schools and academies in Nairobi says since 2013, FC Swagger had achieved a lot, and participating in the Chipukizi tournament in Arusha was a testament.

Dida says his main focus was the Dubai tournament and that he hoped to come with impressive results.

“I can see the young boys playing good football. They are determined and focused and I have seen them making sacrifices for the game. We thank their parents for supporting the talents. Given the opportunity, the can play professional football at the top level.

The kids’ football tactician has lined up several friendly matches with academies in Nairobi and Western.

He has planned matches with Jamhuri High School among other academies in Nairobi and Legend FC in Western.

“There are raw football talents but the opportunities to train are limited. Many rising football stars used to spend most of his time training while balancing it well with studies,” the coach says.