Kenya Soccer Club

Suba Lakers Football Club
Mbita, Kenya

Goal
To provide opportunities for children to develop their God-given abilities and potential

Why is it Necessary?
- no active clubs, leagues or tournaments for girls in Suba District
- very few clubs, leagues or tournaments for boys in Suba
- the ones that are existing are poorly organized
- strong negative peer pressure for young people
- sexual relationships
27% HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Suba District
Only 1/3 of girls pass their primary school exam
Only 1/4 of girls go to secondary school
Early marriages are very common
Drugs and alcohol

Benefits of Sports
1) generates opportunities to share the gospel
2) encourages students to stay in school
3) improves physical fitness
4) builds self-esteem
5) develops good character
6) keeps young people busy with positive activities

Programs
- monthly training sessions on the last Saturday of each month ($50 per session)
- holiday clinics and camps (players, coaches, referees, 1st Aid) ($400 per camp)
- travelling to compete in tournaments ($500-$1,000)
- 1 secondary school scholarship a year ($350 per student)
- Building a standard soccer field (raising money in phases)
- providing academic support

Equipment Needs
Balls Cleats Goals 1st Aid Kit

Financial Needs
Clinics Travelling Meals Scholarships

How it Started
In 2008 the Suba District asked Joe Peterson and Absalom Achieng from Christ’s Gift Academy (CGA) to coach the primary school girls’ all-star team at the Provencial tournament against the other 17 districts in Nyanza Province. We had a strong team with a few girls from CGA and other girls from all over the district. We reached the championship game before losing on post-match penalty kicks. Five of our players were selected to play in the National Tournament. Since that time, we also had an opportunity to travel and compete in an open tournament in Kisumu against club teams and secondary schools from all around the country. Our primary school girls opened a lot of eyes by beating girls 5-10 years older than them who have played on clubs, high schools and even nationally. We reached the semifinals of that tournament and finished in 4th place out of 18 teams.

This past August CGA hosted a 4-day clinic for the top girls players in our area. The success of our girls has drawn the attention of people such as Steve Ochiel who is interested in developing girls football in Kenya from the grassroots level. The Kenya Football Federation is preparing to construct a national girls team for Under-20 and Under-17 to compete in Africa qualifiers in the year 2011. We would like to start training the girls in our area from a young age to develop their talents and generate opportunities in the future for them.