Saturday 12th September saw the finals of Kibera Mpira Mtaani’s “Manchester for Kibera” tournament. Launched on the 8th of August, this tournament ran throughout the August school holidays and involved 124 teams across 5 categories.
With just a few weeks to go until launch day we were worried that this annual event might not take place as no donor had been found to fund it. Thanks to fundraising by volunteers Anne-Marie and Jacqueline McLernon and Scott Russell and donations of strips by Jim Boyle in Edinburgh, the tournament went ahead on a restricted budget.
There was a different feel to finals day this time round with no PA system, no performers or tents. What hadn’t changed was the sense of competition, enthusiasm and determination to win. The event also attracted a large crowd as matches were played at the Undugu ground in the heart of Siranka village in Kibera making it accessible to a much greater number of people than Woodley stadium where most of the previous finals have been played.
In the spirit of Kibera Mpira Mtaani’s community work, the local branch of MSF (Medicines Sans Frontieres) sent along a group of Peer Educators to mentor players on the day. The finalists were given information about HIV/AIDS transmission, reproductive health and other issues. Players had the opportunity to ask any questions they had about these issues and were able to talk freely with the Peer Educators. MSF has offered Kibera Mpira Mtaani ongoing support and training for coaches so that they can also counsel and mentor their players. Our thanks go to MSF and we hope this is the start of a great partnership.
Also present on finals day was Gitau, the business teacher from Nairobi Seed of Hope. This was a great example of how our projects assist each other and use their networks to support one another. Gitau was there to speak with female players and spectators about the opportunities that Seed of Hope could offer them. This was the start of the 2010 enrolment process and a significant number of girls showed interest in the programme and left their details for follow up.
These visitors did not distract from the main focus of the day…the football. There were 5 matches taking place to decide the winning teams in the U10, U12, U14, U16 and ladies categories with one or two third place play-offs also taking place. There were some very talented players on the pitch and some very close matches. A number of the games ended in penalty kicks which added to the tension as teams watched apprehensively to see how their strikers and keepers performed. In the end there could only be one winner for each category and the results were as follows:
U10s Sadili FC 0-0 Makina Youth (Makina won 3-2 on penalties)
U12s FC Marren 1-0 Makina Youth
U14s Young Super Eagles 0-0 Morefire (Young Super Eagles won 5-4 on penalties)
U16s Ghetto Lights 0-1 Allstars Kibera
Ladies REG (Riruta Environmental Group) 0-4 Shoe4Africa
The day was declared a success by the committee members and VA staff. Field director, Deborah Kimathi was on hand to meet some of the teams before they played. She told us “It’s a wonderful occasion. It’s good to see the community come together to watch their children play football “. Volunteer, Georgina Carr, who had just arrived in Kenya 36hours before kickoff was impressed with the event and said “ It’s a colourful event and there is a lot of positive support from parents and friends and enthusiastic children.“
Special mention has to go to the coach of the under 10s winning team. Mahmud Mustafa plays for a team in the under 14s category but also coaches a team. When asked if anyone helped him he told us no, he organises the team himself. “I assembled a very good team. The players were talented, I just gave them advice. I dedicated my time to the team and made sure every day they honoured their fixtures. I’m very happy they’ve won. When we started out I didn’t think we’d get this far”. The committee decided that he should be recognised for his efforts, not because of his age but because of the way he conducts himself and organises his team. A true inspiration and his team did him proud on the day.
All in all, a good day was had by players, coaches, committee members and spectators. The tournament was only possible thanks to hard work by the committee and officials, co-operation of coaches and players and of course the donations made by our supporters. Our thanks go to all involved. If you would like to learn more about the work of Mpira Mtaani or support their next tournament, please use our contact form to get in touch.
Check out the Gallery for more pictures from the Manchester for Kibera finals 2009.