THE organising committee of the 2011 African Under-17 Championship kicked off preparations with a two-day meeting over the weekend at Kivu Serena.

According to Jules Kalisa, the Chief Executive Officer of the local football governing body (Ferwafa), the meeting centered on ways of making next year’s tournament a success.

"We brainstormed on how best to organise the tournament. We also toured the under-construction Gisenyi stadium, which will be one of the venues for the tournament.”
The meeting attracted officials from Ferwafa and the Sports Ministry.

The Under-17 Championship will be staged in Rwanda in January.

Besides Gisenyi stadium, Amahoro and Nyamirambo’s Regional stadium will be the other venues for the event.
Rwanda won hosting rights after successfully hosting last year’s African Youth Championship which was won by Ghana.

Ghana were crowned champions after beating fellow West Africans Cameroon 2-0 in the final. Rwanda, who were drawn in group A along with Ghana, Cameroon and Mali, did not progress past the group stages.

The 2011 U-17 event will serve as a qualifier for the World U-17 Cup in Mexico.

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