Kayole Starlets FC Partners with New Hera Interconnection to Build International Pathways for Women’s Football
Kayole Starlets FC has entered into a partnership with New Hera Interconnection, the sports management company behind some of Kenya’s highest-profile international football programmes, to develop structured pathways carrying Kenyan women players to the global game.
The partnership brings together KSFC’s Kenya Women’s Premier League platform and New Hera’s international network. New Hera operates across eight countries and holds relationships with more than 20 academies, and has brought elite European football programmes to Kenya — including a Villarreal CF coaching camp in Nairobi, the club’s first on Kenyan soil, and a high-performance international camp with FC Andorra International held at Don Bosco, Karen. Via New Hera both camps have already yielded results as 5 players would be heading to Spain (Villarreal – 2 and Andorra – 3).
Under the agreement, the two organisations will work together on international camps and exposure programmes designed specifically for women players, coach education for the KSFC technical team, and structured representation for players identified as ready for professional opportunities abroad.
Central to the partnership is a shared commitment to moving Kenyan players into European football through proper frameworks rather than chance connections — with contracts, compliance, education and welfare handled to professional standard at every stage of a player’s move.
As a first step under the partnership, New Hera will take on the representation of Shani Shemaiah, guiding her career and development while she continues to play and train within the Kayole Starlets environment.
Shemaiah, an 18-year-old midfielder who has previously been called up to the Harambee Starlets U17 squad, will work to an individual development programme coordinated between New Hera and the KSFC technical team, with day-to-day coaching remaining at the club. Both organisations see her as the first case study in a model they intend to repeat: representation, education and welfare structures put in place around a player at home, so that her development is properly supported at every stage.
“Our players have never lacked ability — they have lacked access,” said Eric Jackson, CEO of Kayole Starlets FC. “New Hera has already shown what is possible when Kenyan talent is connected to serious international structures. What matters to us is that women are not an afterthought in that work. This partnership puts a clear pathway in front of our squad, and Shani is the first of many.”
“Talent exists everywhere, but opportunity does not,” said Martí Torres, CEO of New Hera Interconnection. “Kayole Starlets have built one of the most respected women’s football environments in East Africa, and that is exactly the kind of partner we want to build bridges with. Beginning with Shani, our commitment is to guide players properly — with the right development, the right timing, and the right destination.”
New Hera’s women’s football track record includes the recent move of Kenyan international Valerie Nekesa to CD Tenerife Femenino in Spain.
The first joint camp is planned for December 2026, with more details to follow.
ENDS
About Kayole Starlets FC
Kayole Starlets FC is a premier women’s football club based in Nairobi, Kenya, dedicated to the development and professionalization of female athletes. Founded in 2008, the club competes in the Kenya Women’s Premier League, is home to several national team prospects, and is Kenya’s most-followed women’s sports team. It is committed to excellence on and off the pitch — building careers, building community, and building the future of the game.
About New Hera Interconnection
New Hera Interconnection is a sports management company building sports bridges between Africa and the world. Operating across eight countries with relationships spanning more than 20 academies and schools, New Hera delivers international camps, residential programmes, scholarships, coach education and athlete representation. It has hosted programmes in Kenya with Villarreal CF, FC Andorra International, Cruyff Football and the Rafa Nadal Academy, has advised more than 40 East African athletes, and in 2026 entered a strategic partnership with Nasdaq-listed Nomadar Corp. to develop joint sports programmes across the United States, Europe and Africa.