Luis Alejandro Castañeda From Colombia Wins WorldRemit, Arsenal 'Future Stars' Coaching Programme

Online money transfer company WorldRemit and Arsenal today announced that Luis Alejandro

Castañeda from Colombia and Chinasa

Ukandu from Nigeria are the winners of the 2019 Future Stars coaching programme. The two youth coaches will now prepare to travel to London for a personalised training session with Arsenal Football Development coaches, and

their trip will be sponsored by WorldRemit.

Luis and Chinasa were among eight finalists, four men and four women, who

were selected by a panel of judges from WorldRemit and Arsenal for their commitment to using football to empower young people and benefit their communities.

Castañeda is a volunteer coach for a blind boys' football team from Bogotá and the surrounding area. The team

was

set up by his father, who is blind, 20 years ago to help young people develop their mobility and independence. "I'm so grateful to WorldRemit and Arsenal for this opportunity. I've always dreamed of travelling to

Londona

nd will use the experience of training with Arsenal Football Development to help develop and raise awareness of Paralympic sport in Colombia and even globally," he said.

Chinasa coaches boys and girls aged 5 to 16. Together with her friends, she helps provide young people with an opportunity to develop football and life skills at Help The Talent Academy in Lagos State. She completed phase three of the Premier Skills Coach Educators Course (an initiative by the English Premier League and British Council) in 2015. "I'm so excited to win the training session in London and can't wait to meet the Arsenal Football Development coaches. I love a challenge and will use this global coaching opportunity to take new skills back to Nigeria and give back to my community," he added.

They emerged as the winners following a public vote. Almost 40,000 votes

were cast in less than three weeks

– Luis received the highest number among the male finalists and Chinasa received the highest number among the female coaches.

The Future Stars programme was developed by WorldRemit and Arsenal to celebrate the positive impact that grassroots youth football coaches have on their communities, helping the children they train to develop life skills both on and off the pitch. Now in its second edition, the Future Stars 2019 programme received over 1,400 applications from across Africa and the Americas. This was the first year that the programme

was expanded to the Americas.

Gabriel

Carvajalino, Country Manager for Colombia at WorldRemit, said:

"At WorldRemit,

we are inspired every day by our customers, who work hard to send money home to support their communities.

"Through our partnership with Arsenal and the Future Stars programme, we

are delighted to celebrate the stories of inspiring individuals such as Luis and Chinasa, who use sport to make a difference to the lives of the young people they train. Congratulations to the winners and our team looks forward to welcoming you to London!"

"Through our programmes in London and across the globe,

our Football Development coaches are dedicated to helping set young players up for success both on and off the pitch," said Simon McManus, Head Coach at Arsenal Football Development. "The Future Stars winners' work within their communities shows just how powerful football can be and the importance of promoting diversity within the sport. We are excited to meet Luis and Chinasa and support them in amplifying their contributions to grassroots football in Colombia and Nigeria even further."