At 18, Ashenafi Tewodros is still pursuing his football ambitions, despite a lack of basic equipment, safe training facilities and clear pathways to a professional career. After missing an opportunity to travel to Georgia because his family could not afford the expenses, he now trains on an uneven concrete surface and regularly borrows football boots from friends.

While playing for Ayat 49, Ashenafi’s coach helped him secure an opportunity to travel to Georgia. He obtained a passport in preparation for the trip, but the estimated cost of 300,000 to 400,000 birr for a visa, accommodation and agency-related expenses proved beyond his family’s means.

“My mother raised me by working in other people’s homes; she could not cover this cost, and as a result, I missed out on this opportunity,” Ashenafi told The Reporter.

Now playing primarily as a centre-forward for Wegagen Football Club in Addis Ababa’s Lemi Kura Sub-City, Ashenafi continues to face difficulties in training. He said the cracked, uneven concrete surface poses a constant risk of injury, while shortages of basic equipment force players to borrow gear from one another.

Dawit Belachew, head coach of Wegagen FC, trains about 85 youngsters aged 10 to 17 across three age groups. Although he acknowledges some improvement in youth football, he said government support remains inadequate.

“Although the current state of youth football has shown a certain degree of improvement compared to before, the support provided at the government leadership level is insufficient relative to what is needed,” Dawit said.

Before moving to their current training area, the youngsters practised on asphalt alongside moving vehicles, according to Dawit. Access to a proper field remains expensive. Renting one costs 200 birr an hour, or 400 birr for two hours. Dawit said he does not pass the cost on to the players because many of their families cannot afford it.

Equipment shortages present another obstacle. Families struggle to provide uniforms, which players often receive only once a year. Dawit said the local woreda had supplied training bibs just once in five years and had provided no other assistance to the club.

“There are many kids with great potential and extraordinary talent who, if properly nurtured, could play for big clubs in the future and bring renown to our country,” he said.

For Natanim Surafel, a 16-year-old member of Ibex Football Club’s under-17 squad, access to basic equipment is similarly difficult. He borrows shoes, gloves and shorts from friends. He dreams of playing like Mohamed Salah, but the demands of training are compounded by a more immediate concern: hunger.

Natanim said he often feels hungry after training and does not get the nutrition he needs, adding to the difficulties young players face as they try to develop their skills.

Their experiences point to broader challenges in grassroots football, where access to safe playing surfaces, basic equipment and sustained training resources can determine whether young players have a realistic chance of progressing. These concerns also reflect international standards that emphasize children’s right to participate in sport in safe, supportive environments.

In its April 2021 report, Getting into the Game: Understanding the Evidence for Child-Focused Sport for Development, UNICEF Innocenti reviewed evidence indicating that sport programmes can contribute to children’s health, social inclusion, protection and empowerment when they meet appropriate quality standards. In March 2026, the FIFA Council approved its first comprehensive safeguarding policy, establishing global benchmarks for prevention, reporting and accountability intended to promote safe and inclusive environments across football.

Beyond the lack of facilities and equipment, Dawit questioned the fairness of youth recruitment, arguing that personal connections can sometimes carry more weight than ability when players are selected. Ashenafi, too, expressed doubts about whether young footballers have fair opportunities to progress to major clubs or earn places on the national team.

Neither the Ethiopian Football Federation nor the Addis Ababa Football Federation responded to requests for comment from The Reporter. Officials at the Lemi Kura Sub-City Youth and Sports Bureau, however, acknowledged financial and equipment constraints while outlining the assistance available to young athletes.

Netsanet Tilahun, head of the bureau’s Education and Training Desk, said the sub-city does not allocate a specific budget directly to young players. The bureau does, however, hire coaches and arrange access to playing fields for participants in both public and private initiatives.

The bureau pays coaches 1,500 birr a month, Netsanet said, acknowledging that the stipend is low because of severe budget constraints. Equipment supplied to the bureau is also not always suitable for young players, particularly in terms of sizing.

On concerns about recruitment, Netsanet said the bureau organizes annual competitions at which clubs can observe players and identify promising talent. She said officials had no evidence of nepotism or favouritism but would investigate if evidence of misconduct emerged.

Mebratu Regassa, head of the bureau’s Recreational Facilities Desk, said only two football fields in the sub-city are directly managed by the bureau, while others have been developed by private investors. Youngsters participating in government-run development projects can use public fields free of charge, whereas private projects and trainers must pay hourly fees.

Mebratu added that the bureau schedules access to fields for youth teams two to three days a week. It can also help raise funds for players who secure opportunities to join overseas clubs but cannot afford the cost of travel.

He confirmed, however, that no young player had yet travelled abroad through this arrangement.

For Ashenafi and many other young footballers in Addis Ababa, the ambition to build a career in the game remains constrained by the cost of opportunity. Without affordable training facilities, adequate equipment and credible routes into professional football, talent alone may not be enough to carry them beyond the playing surfaces where their dreams begin.