By Mutwiri Mutuota

It cost Athletics Kenya (AK) Sh13.901 million to send the national team to Berlin World Championships in August. Harambee Stars gobbled Sh5 million to travel to Tunisia for their 2010 World Cup/Nations Cup qualifier in Tunis last month.

A professionally organised local hockey club would require "only" an estimated Sh3 million to run a whole season if you contrast the sum with what Kenya’s big two sports require for a single event.

In yet another indication of the dire straits the sport is mired in, that benchmark is beyond the reach of most, if not, all teams playing in Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) leagues.

A hockey goalkeeper dons the full uniform during a past international competition at City Park Stadium in Nairobi. Photo: File

Women’s league titleholders, Telkom Orange, are the only side with corporate backing in the three KHU leagues (premier men, national men and national women) with the rest being institutional, private members or self-supporting clubs.

"We are crying because we receive no support from KHU and have few spectators. We need to market ourselves and get people to watch our sport for us to survive," Marie Aran, team manager of Vikings who play in the women’s league told FeverPitch while revealing that it costs her side Sh500,000 to Sh600,000 annually to operate.

According to her, a proper hockey stick costs Sh5,000, playing shoes Sh4,000, socks Sh500 and shin guards Sh1,000. In addition, a professional goalkeeper’s kit is priced at Sh150,000.

"If proper equipment is acquired, it can last a team a season," suspended KHU fixtures secretary, Peter Kiruma, who offered Sh3 million would be enough for a local hockey team to function efficiently, stated.

In an ideal situation, a club of 15 players that does not share equipment comprised 13 outfield and two custodians would spend Sh150,000 on hockey sticks (two for each player) and for outfielders getting two of each — Sh104,000 on shoes, Sh23,000 (chin guards) and Sh13,000 (socks). A pair of goalkeeping kit would consume Sh300,000 to bring the total to Sh590,000 a season.

On the ground, however, such projections are far removed from reality. "My goalkeeper’s kit is worn out and a replacement is needed soon but to afford one is so difficult," Aran lamented.

With the league concentrated in Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa, most KHU teams especially self-supporting sides, dread away fixtures that consume between Sh50,000 and Sh100,000.

In addition, clubs are required to remit Sh20,000 for membership, Sh5,000 for player registration and Sh10,000 for player transfers to KHU. Should an outfit qualify for regional or continental events, then expenditure in the upwards of Sh200,000 (within East Africa) is incurred.

To hire training grounds, most located in private member clubs, hockey outfits especially those in Nairobi are charged between Sh2,000 and Sh5,000 per session.

"Apart from paying for some players out of pocket, others have to beg their parents to support them and we have to seek the cheapest accommodation possible," Aran disclosed.

"In our leagues, players pay their own costs of travel to training and to matches and since many are students they have to borrow. In most clubs, players are not paid allowances and they sacrifice for the love of the game," Kiruma added.