Time to wear your KPL jersey

By Caleb Mutua

It is a few minutes past the first half time, City Stadium is packed to the brim and seats are getting hotter by the minute. The noisy fans seated on the left stands are AFC Gor Mahia fans wearing green and white jerseys. AFC Leopards fans are screaming on my right wearing their bright white and blue jerseys.

I am impressed. Not by the players’ moves on the pitch or by the rejuvenated fans with their elongated vuvuzelas but by the new spirit in Kenya’s football. Sitting here surrounded by jubilant fans singing and dancing for their teams is like watching one of the “el classic” games, a famed soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid where fans turn out in large numbers to support their teams.

I bet the players are motivated by the coloured stadium. A couple seated next to me have their Gor Mahia T-shirts branded names of their loved one. “We had our jerseys written the name of our lover at an extra cost’” Ms. Salome Auma and Mr. Frank Omondi said proudly. “Our team unites us together and attending Gor Mahia games is always a treat for both of us.

The situation is the same during other Kenya Premier League (KPL) matches in different sports grounds nationwide. Many football fans attribute the positive attitude in Kenyan football to mainstream media for prioritizing the coverage of KPL competitions.

“A few years ago I would not have dared to attend a match against these two teams. Rumours had it that Gor fans came to the games with briefcases full of stones and when their opponents scored stones flew from all direction’” Mr. Stephen Nyongesa, a fan of the Leopards said.

Women have not been left behind. Gor Mahia, for instance, has “K’ogirlo Divas Group” that represents female fans. This is a fully-fledged branch of the team that help the club mobilize women fans. Apart from cheering their favourite team, the girls also give back to the society by doing community work.

Beatrice Akinyi is a Gor fan in the process of registering with the K’ogirlos. “I look forward to that day when I will be a member of the group because the club will recognize me,” she added.

The sporting mood has spilt over to the streets. Walk in the streets of Nairobi and its suburbs and you’ll see fathers and their sons sauntering with their favourite football jerseys. Now many Kenyan youth consider it more ‘cool’ and patriotic to wear a Harambee Star jersey than a Manchester United or Arsenal jersey.

“I am a diehard supporter of Sofa Paka,”Florence Mueni says. “Even though I hardly attend our matches, I always wear my Sofa Paka jersey when we are playing.”

The new found love for local football teams has resulted to a booming jersey business. Joseph Mwangi is a jersey vendor in Kayole Estate. At his stand, a Harambee Star jersey is going at KSHs. 1,500. To have your jersey customized you will have to part with KSHs. 2,500. “The prices are normally fixed and sometimes we run out of stock because of the high demand.”

Other football swags include wristbands, shorts, shoes, hats and caps all of which can be customized to your preferences. For all customized swags, however, you will have to place your order in advance and pay a deposit.

So now you know. Don’t turn up for a football match wearing one of those Old AIDS campaign T-shirts lest you risk being the odd one out.

First published in March 2012.