In the heat of rural Leicestershire, the Samba Stars are chasing their dream. Head coach Freddie Okyere has just finished a shooting exercise and allows the squad to catch their breath. The teenagers from the Ghanaian academy, which is backed by former West Ham and Nottingham Forest forward Michail Antonio, have spent two and a half months in England with one goal - impressing clubs and earning a contract.
While scouts do visit west Africa, it is rare for academies to travel to the UK to put their players directly in front of professional clubs. "The talent the lads have is incredible," said Antonio. "We created Samba Stars Academy to give young players in Ghana access to elite coaching, shape them as players and create real avenues into the pro game and show how much talent Ghana has." Based in Kumasi while building a new facility in Bompata, just over 100 miles north of Ghana's capital Accra, the Samba Stars' tactic has paid off.
Bournemouth, Everton, Manchester City, Charlton, Preston, Barnsley and Peterborough have all taken players on trial this summer. "The first two or three weeks it hadn't sunk in, but then they saw the facilities we'd be [using] and the teams we were playing," said Okyere. "They want to go and show what they can do.
They are hungry, they really want it. I'm hoping there will be so much interest because we have so much talent here. "With the facilities we will have in Ghana we feel we will be top two, top three [academies].
We hope we can bring the best of Ghana to Europe." There are other success stories, with midfielder Listowell Lord Hinneh joining Middlesbrough in February after a trial., external The 18-year-old has trained with the first team after swapping west Africa for England's north east. "When I came in January, it was so cold. Experiencing something like that for the first time was tough," he told BBC Sport.
"Moving was a big milestone. It just makes me feel the dreams I've been having, thinking of trying to find myself in Europe to become a professional footballer. "I feel the kind of dreams that I want, I'm on the verge.
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