Football - Not Just a Game of Two Halves!!

PottersHeart training engages women and some of the older men, but it’s been especially challenging to engage young men. Especially unmarried ones. Wherever you go you see young people hanging around. With unemployment around 98% there is little else to do!

Kenyan’s love football. But they have no money for any kit…not even a football! In the villages you often see young men aged from around 10 to their early 20’s…kicking around balls of tightly wound plastic bags…makeshift footballs.

On one of our trips John had an idea. With a passion for football himself, he saw an opportunity of using the game to engage with the young men. Of giving them a sense of purpose…of using football to build a relationship with them.

So on our last trip, thanks to CleanSlate FC, PottersHeart took out 2 sets of kit…and 2 village teams were established where there had previously been none - the Ol Rongai Stars and the Miti Mingi Tigers.

6 months on and they are playing regular matches. The teams have captains and they are taking care of the kit. They now have a sense of purpose…of self worth. The teams have bonded.

On our next trip we will be providing football skills training, and longer term we hope to establish a league across many of the local villages.

But most importantly, as John had hoped, relationships have developed which open doors to other training. Skills training. Training that could eventually lead to jobs.