Liverpool Football Club in Kenya

Liverpool Football Club have this month showcased new football clinics in the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi. The aim of these clinics is to coach some of the youngsters and give them an insight into how professional footballers train, so that they can use these methods to improve their own skills.

Former player and Liverpool legend Ian Rush led the campaign along with some of the coaches from the LFC Academy.

One hundred boys and girls from the Ligi Ndogo League in Kenya were invited to participate in football workshops which took place in the National Stadium in Nairobi over two days. Here, they were taught skills and techniques by professional coaches and also given their very own Liverpool home shirt. Ian Rush said “The best thing about it was that they played with smiles on their faces.” The event also served as a great opportunity for talented youngsters to show off their skills and ability to Liverpool coaches. In a few years time, maybe one of these children could turn out to be LFC’s next big star, wearing the Liverpool shirt, and playing where many a great player has played on the Anfield pitch.

But it wasn’t just the local children who benefited from these clinics. Ligi Ndogo League coaches too were taught new training techniques and skills from the professional academy coaches. In the long term, these skills can be passed on to a broader population of the local young players who seek to learn all they can about the game. Ian Rush commented “I’m told that the one thing letting down so many very talented young footballers in Kenya is a severe lack of adequate football coaching. Lots of kids who may have had very promising futures in the game see their talents go unfulfilled because there aren’t enough coaches here who have the skills, the experience and the expertise to take them to that to that next level.”

Speaking from personal experience of travelling around Kenya and Tanzania, the active support for premier league teams is huge. Football is more than just a game; it is like an international language that is spoken all over the world, and I have learnt that more than ever on my travels, whilst making friends with many a football fan. I hope that the awareness of how much the premier league teams are admired in this part of the world does not go unnoticed and that more clubs start to show their presence here.

That’s all for this blog post, I’m off to watch the game!
You’ll Never Walk Alone!