‘Flames Central’ earns Emmy for inspirational story of LU soccer player from Kenya

Liberty University’s sports television show “Flames Central” brought home yet another Emmy Award earlier this month with a win in the Religion – Short Form category by co-anchor Emily Austen.

“Flames Central” is dedicated to providing in-depth coverage of student-athletes and teams on a weekly basis, often profiling the inspiring and faith-led life stories of Liberty’s student-athletes.

The five-minute video feature tells the story of Flames men’s soccer player Arnold Onyango, from Kibera, Kenya, and his life’s journey through the loss of both parents, growing up in poverty while discovering the sport of soccer, and God’s provision in leading him to play NCAA Division I athletics at Liberty. The segment aired on “Flames Central” in April.

“(Onyango) fell in love with the game of soccer when he was a little boy and would make soccer balls out of trash bundled up using strings he found in the street,” Austen explained. “With any money he made or found, he would pay to watch YouTube videos of soccer. I’d heard about his story through the grapevine of Liberty Athletics, and I knew his story had to be shared.”

[Watch the winning segment below.]

This was Austen’s first Emmy in her sports broadcasting career, and she shared her gratitude for her co-workers and Onyango.

“It was surreal to win, and it still is,” she said last week. “I’m still pinching myself about it and reflecting on all of my co-workers who worked on it, and also thinking of Arnold for having the vulnerability to share his story. It’s not just me who puts in the work to make a story into a finished product, and it really is a team effort even though my name might be on it. It also belongs to Arnold — he had the Emmy-worthy story.”

Austen was able to celebrate the Emmy win immediately with loved ones.

“At the end of the day, it still means so much to accomplish something like winning an Emmy,” she said. “When I found I’d won I was with my family, and there was no other group I’d rather be with when I heard it.”

Since the program began eight years ago, “Flames Central” has won at least one Emmy in the last seven consecutive years, and a total of 11 overall.

The Emmy win for Austen was one of the show’s eight nominations this year, recognizing video segments, sound design and post-production, graphic arts, and “Flames Central” as a whole in the Sports Program category.

Austen joined the “Flames Central” staff in October 2019 and serves as an anchor, producer, and reporter alongside producer and anchor Matt Warner and co-anchor Rett McGibbon.

“I think it’s important to be excited and take note of this accomplishment … but the ultimate reward is getting to share stories that glorify God, and at the end of the day that’s the most important thing to me,” Austen said.

“Flames Central” airs on more than 22 affiliate stations across the country, with live premieres Fridays on ESPN+ at 2 p.m. EST and archives of past shows available on its website. Locally, Flames fans can watch the show on Sundays on WDBJ at 11:35 p.m. and WSET at 12:30 p.m.