The Rising Stars Foundation brings together Football, Basketball and Education under one roof — giving every young athlete aged 5–18 the coaching, support and opportunities they deserve.
At the Rising Stars Foundation, we believe talent is everywhere — but opportunity is not. Founded in 2024 by Richard McEnery, a former British Royal Marine Commando with a lifelong passion for giving back, we seek out the brightest young athletes and students from communities around Cape Town, and give them the platform, coaching and education they deserve.
From football and basketball to academic bursaries and trade school scholarships, our programmes develop the whole person. Backed by Real Madrid, CA Osasuna and a network of European clubs, we connect players to professional opportunities — while ensuring every child in our care has access to quality education, regardless of where they started.
At the Rising Stars Foundation, we believe that developing a great athlete means developing a great person first. That's why we invest in the futures of our players both on and off the pitch — through bursaries that give children access to quality education.
Our bursary programme is built on the belief that talent should never be limited by circumstance. We partner with Generation School and other educational institutions to ensure our players have every opportunity to thrive — in the classroom and on the field.
Learn About Our Bursaries →
Covering school fees for over 40 talented young players who would otherwise miss out.
Our players attend Generation School at Rising Stars HQ, Kommetjie — sport and education under one roof.
We are committed to giving back to Cape Town communities and developing Africa's future leaders.
Want to sponsor a child's education? Partner with Rising Stars and make a real difference.
All our coaches are fully qualified, and though they hold licences from different governing bodies, our methodology is the same: possession football, technical excellence, and human development.
Our player pathway gives talented young footballers a clear, structured route to professional football.
Join Rising Stars from age 5. Develop fundamentals in a safe environment.
Progress through age groups with dedicated coaching and performance tracking.
Top players enter our high-performance stream with international exposure.
Connections to PSL clubs and European / Australian opportunities.
Rising Stars HQ in Kommetjie, Cape Town gives every player everything they need to train, recover, and perform at their very best.
