Mariam is a good sport

When she was younger, Mariam Mell’Osime Mpaata disliked sports.

She dreaded sports days and games times in school.

“I used to have imaginary illnesses whenever there was a sports day,” she says. “I just could not imagine myself taking part in any sports discipline.”

Little did the soft-spoken woman with an infectious smile — who best describes herself as an open book — know what was in store for her.

Mpaata, 36, is the founder and director of Junior Stars Football Academy and the Junior Stars Youth Development Programme.

Her outfit mentors young people through football programmes and is at the forefront of promoting the game.

After relocating from Uganda where she was born and bred, to Mombasa, her eldest son, Imran, was very active and was always on the move.

Mpaata, who was then a housewife spending most of her days at home and could monitor what her son was doing.

“Football was not close to my interests. I was more of a movie and soap operas buff,” she says.

But Imran, who was then approaching 7, loved football. He could spend most of the day at home kicking the ball and the small compound was not a hindrance.

“Broken windows were the norm and one day, he broke the windscreen of a neighbour’s Mercedes Benz and we had to pay for it,” she says. “I could not take it anymore and I had to find a solution.”

BRAIN WAVE

Mpaata then started looking for an institution in Mombasa where her son could play and develop his passion. She could not find any. Then she got a brain wave.

“I thought I could buy footballs and assemble some of his friends so that they could play at a convenient location. As I was figuring out how to make the idea work, the post-election violence happened and no parent wanted to allow their children to go out and play. I had to put my plan on hold,” she says.

She took the time to research more about football and find out if there were any training institutions that could help the children nurture the talents.

In April 2008, Mpaata started the academy with 15 boys and one coach. She had acquired five footballs. “The boys used to play at Aga Khan High School in Mombasa and were not bothered by the heat,” she says. “It was an exciting period not only for them but also for me too.”

Fast-forward to today.

Junior Stars Football Academy continues to grow and currently has 100 boys and two girls, her daughters. They are trained by 10 coaches.

Football has since become a passion for this versatile young mother of four and her entire family has also developed a football craze.

“My nine-year-old daughter, Afraa, woke up one day and told me that she wanted to play football with the other children in the academy. She has now played football for three years and loves it,” says Mpaata. “My husband has stood by me and is very proud of my accomplishments.”

COMMUNITY WORK

“Since it is community work, I have had to pool resources to run the programme and he supports me.”

Her husband is a football fanatic too and their last daughter Hannah who is three loves to kick the ball around when she is with the father.

“I realised I needed to build a strong foundation with my idea. And that is why it has taken us six years to be noticed. There are many boys who came to play when they were 17 when the academy started and have now become coaches.

More than 10,000 young people have benefited both from the academy and the youth development programme and that is something to smile about.”

Mpaata says the football academy is all about creating social change and instilling values, and that is why it incorporates children from diverse backgrounds.

“Football is known to be a very powerful tool. It can break many barriers. It is not about how many Origis or Wanyamas we have produced. It is about social change and having a positive impact on these children,” she adds.

Through workshops and tournaments, they can reach out to many other children

“We have partnered with several organisations on this noble cause. We have received a lot of support from the community and that is very encouraging,” says Mpaata.

The academy also organises the Watoto Soccer Awards to recognise and award the most outstanding players.

Mpaata now looks forward to setting up a Sports Centre, with various amenities for young people, in Mombasa.