Buruburu Soccer Academy are the 2023 Inua Talanta tournament U13 champions.
The academy, arguably Nairobi’s most prolific age group talent development centre, won the 4th edition of this annual championship at the Mombasa Sports Club held between December 9-11, 2023.
This is the second triumph for the academy in as three months, following the heroic exploits at the Rausha Kipaji football tournament in Nakuru.
En-route to their victory, the Buruburu based academy recorded an unbroken winning streak before claiming that historic victory in a terse penalty shoot out in the final match against home side Phoenix Mombasa.
In the boys’ first encounter at the coastal city, BSA put up a spirited fight to claim a 5-1 victory against their eventual final opponents Phoenix Mombasa. Four goals from Damian Baraka and one courtesy of Charles Kyeni were enough to see BSA seal their first win of the tournament.
In the second match against Ruiru Sports Academy, Damian Baraka was on the score card again as he sealed a 1-0 victory for the Eastlands based academy to put them on the forward pedestal. The boys then thumped Tinganga Academy from Kiambu County 5-0 courtesy of goals from star striker Damian Baraka who bagged a hat trick and Daniel Rachuonyo to book their place in the finals.
BSA would again have a date with Phoenix Mombasa who, seeking to avenge their opening defeat came all out to force a goal less draw at the final whistle. With the match heading into post match penalties, Buruburu again were the better side converting all of their 5 spot kicks as Phoenix Mombasa only put 2 past the keeper. Charles Kyeni, Daniel Rachuonyo, Damian Baraka, Lawrence Otieno, and Justin Gatuni all scored their penalty kicks to ensure the silverware came to Nairobi.
It was not just the under 13 team that sent shock waves in the tournament, the Bururburu Soccer Academy Under 7 years team defeated Sunrise Mombasa 4-0 in their opening fixture courtesy of goals from William Wachira and Antonio Molla who scored a brace each before seeing off Tinganga Academy by two goals to nil as Mark Gatete and Rooney Fulhensio scored a piece each. At the Semi Finals, the under 7 years BSA team went down fighting as they lost 1-3 to Phoenix Mombasa.
In the Under 9 years category, BSA overpowered Tinganga Academy winning their first match by a solitary goal that was scored by Ian Kamau before thumping Ruiru sports academy by 4 goals to nil courtesy of goals from Ian Kamau who netted a hat trick and one from Ian Baraka. In the Semi Finals, Phoenix Mombasa held BSA to a barren draw before the home side won the ensuring penalty contest 2-1
In the Under 11 years category, BSA and Ruiru Sports Academy played out a goal less draw before the Buruburu boys benefited from a walk over, on a two goals and three points basis rule, after opponents Brookhaven failed to honour their second match.
In their next match, BSA claimed a 3-0 victory over Kasarani Midhill with goals for BSA coming from Carlos Maingi, Adjatay Gabriel and Jayleen Juma. The Under 11 team’s journey ended at the semis with a heartbreaking 2-0 loss at the hands of B2B.
The Eastlands Based Academy has entered teams in the Under 7, Under 9, Under 11 and Under 13 categories. According to Buruburu Soccer Academy chairman Kenn Okaka, who is a communications and PR strategist, the academy’s exemplary performance at the Inua Talanta championships is just the beginning of greater things to come.
“We have been giving these kids the best training and imparting them with mental skills to let them know that they are winners. They faced the tournament in Mombasa with a lot of courage and all of our teams went to the semi finals and our under 13 team came back with silverware. It is a very good way to end the year,” Okaka said.
Buruburu Soccer Academy Director Dan Karani praised the team that played at the tournament noting that 2023 had been their breakthrough year and the future can only be brighter.
“These boys went for the first time to Nakuru and even without prior experience of playing outside of their environs, they came back victorious. Now they have ended the year with another trophy in the cabinet and I see a very bright future for these promising youngsters. This is a very proud moment for us,” Karani noted.
BSA focuses more on individual skills development of the player and grow the children’s interest in football as well as giving them opportunities to experience real time competition to gain experience at an early age and better understanding of the game
The Buruburu Soccer Academy is a football nurturing organization that is based in Buruburu Estate in Nairobi’s Eastlands area and admits children from the age of seven (7) to Nineteen (19) years.
