Nyakach Girls’ appetite for the ball paid off with a trip and a paycheck

Students of Nyakach Girls High School in Kisumu celebrate with the trophy after their football club team emerged the overall winner of the Chapa Dimba football tournament after beating Tar Tar from Rift Valley 4-3 through penalties.(Collins Oduor, Standard)

They entered a football tournament for fun. But as it gathered momentum, it struck them that they could actually win. 

For Students of  Nyakach Girls  High  School their victory in the  coveted Chapa Dimba football competition could as well be a god-send . They had never dreamt of flying out of the country. But thanks to their win they are now preparing for a historic trip to London.

The competition, sponsored by Safaricom, was aimed at identifying talents through a soccer competition beginning at the zonal to the national level for both boys and girls.

Paycheck

Apart from the winning team bagging Sh1 million cash prize, the soccer team would have an opportunity for a ten day training camp in London. They would also interact with Kenyan international footballer, Victor Wanyama, who plies his trade with the English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspurs.

On Wednesday,the 18-member team was making efforts to secure passports at the Immigration offices in Kisumu in readiness for the trip set for early May.

What started as a mere interest in participating in the competition to strengthen a squad paid off last Sunday when the team, commonly known as 'Plateau Queens', beat Tar Tar from the Rift valley 4-3 in post-match penalties to win the competition staged in Kakamega.

George Omondi, the head coach painted a picture of sheer luck and determination through the competition which brought together established soccer clubs.

“When I saw the advertisement calling for participation around September last year, I went to the internet and looked at the requirements before sharing it with our principal.

Everybody was so engrossed in the national examination (KCSE) and nobody was keen to pay any attention to soccer,” said Omondi.

Determined to press on, he made an entry and the team was picked to compete. But there was another hurdle.

Out of the 20-member team in the school’s soccer squad, seven were Form Four candidates sitting for their KCSE. Another six had been invited for trials with the national female soccer team, Harambee Starlets, leaving Omondi with just seven players.

The seven players were not readily available either as they had been released to go home inorder to give room for KCSE examinations.

The zonal competition was nearing, and the team had to honour the match against Body Queens, a local soccer team from Nyakach. Omondi quickly called up the seven players who played their opponents to win 2-0.

“We had to play four people less. We couldn’t manage to get players, so it was seven against eleven opponents,” he said.

They qualified for the divisional level, and to their amazement, they had no opponent at this level, giving them direct qualification for the county level.

In early November, the county competition came, pitting Nyakach against Bondo Starlets. Nyakach lost 1-0, in  what seemed to be Plateau Queen’s exit from the competition.

But there was a  controversy. Nyakach appealed the results, claiming that their opponents had fielded ineligible players.

The competition had banned the use of professional players plying their trade in the local leagues, and Bondo was found guilty of the offence.

They were disqualified and Nyakach proceeded to the finals of the competition, where they played Siaya ladies, winning 3-0.

They qualified for the Nyanza regional competition held in Kisii in early December, where they played Omobera from Migori County winning 4-1 in the semis and beat Ugari Starlets 1-0 at the finals to qualify for the nationals hosted in Kakamega.

At the nationals, they were pitted against Ngaaka Talent Academy from Eastern Region at the quarter finals, which they beat 7-1. They qualified for the semis, meeting Limuru Starlets from Central region which they beat 6-0.

At the finals, they met the tournament favourites Tar Tar from West Pokot. The first half ended 0-0, and Omondi was starting to smell victory from the performance.

“From the noises in the pitch, it was clear that everybody was supporting our opponents, but we chose not to focus on that, but on the pitch,” said Omondi.

At the end of the 90 minutes, the match ended 1-1, prompting a straight penalty shootout, where Nyakach won 4-3 after their keeper and captain Judith Osimbo saved two penalties.

Nyakach Girls’ High School Principal Dora Okaalo said the achievement came through support from the entire school community, and has put the school in the international light.

“Accepting to participate in the competition was motivated by the need to give our girls exposure and accord them the chance to exploit their talents. I am glad that we got more than we bargained for,” said Okaalo.

Apart from the two major awards, the school also produced the best goalkeeper, top scorer and player of the tournament.

Judith Osimbo, 18, who captained the team still has the memory of the determination they had to employ in order to win the trip.
Osimbo, a Form Four student is also the Goal Keeper of the team, and conceded one goal during the final leg of the tournament in Kakamega.

She joined the school soccer team in 2016, while she was a Form Two student, and has grown to love soccer.
“My ambition is to grow in soccer and play abroad. I have tasted the fruits of soccer and I want to achieve much more,” said Osimbo who  has since been called up to the national team under20.

She also play for President Timbro Foundation team, based at her Makongeni home in Nairobi where she begun soccer as a child.

Monica Moli, another member of the squad joined the team in 2016, and played the last three matches of the tournament leading to the win of the trophy.
“I can’t wait to get to the plane to London. It will be my first time to fly in a plane, and get outside the country,” said the third born in a family of five.

The Kakamega born girl said she inherited the soccer bug from her father who played on the Kakamega High School team as a student.
“This is but a start. I want to go beyond where my father reached,” she said.
 Osimbo, a Form Four candidate expressed confidence that the players would go far, asking her peers not to sit on their talents.

“This achievement belongs to all those who stood with us. Our aim is not to stop here, but get as many opportunities as possible to show what we have and become professional footballers,” she said.

The school team has represented the country in the East African Secondary School Games in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Last year, they won the Copa Under-16 competition where they emerged number three nationally.