Football

Why football for girls?

Why not? Many girls in Kilifi play football. It acts as a mobilising force to bring girls together and has the potential to build collective power for a marginalized group. In MTG girls also build their own skills: they organize and officiate all MTG matches, tournaments and leagues. They represent the organization in local, national and international meetings.

Challenges for girls in Kilifi:
Through football she can:
Not free to attend meetings, go out Be reached, mobilized in safe places, socialize positively
Early marriage Stay longer in school
No schooling If out of school, delay early marriage
No decisions, even for herself Build confidence, "If I can play football I can do lots of useful things in my life"
No access to sexual health education Learn life skills, discuss reproductive health issues with trained peer educators
No leadership or management skills Learn how to organise leagues, tournaments
Cheap labour (house girls) Opportunities to gain work experience as volunteer/staff

Read more about our football programme by following the links below.

Leagues

176 girls' teams are playing their league matches at 25 fields in Kilifi and Kaloleni district. There are three categories: under 13 years, under 16 years and the open age category. The leagues are organized and managed by field committees composed of players and girls who are trained by MTG as referees, first aiders, peer educators, counselors, coaches or field leaders. The matches are usually played on Saturdays. After the matches there is peer education and counselors are available to talk with the girls. At least once a year teams carry out community services in their community.

The MTG champions 2008 are Young Stars, Ndugumnani, Vitengeni in the Under 13 category and Black Mamba, Kilifi, Bahari, in the open age category.

MTG United teams

MTG has three teams that represent MTG in- and outside Kilifi district. The open age teams plays in the Mombasa league and tournaments in Mombasa and Nairobi. The MTG under 16 team won the Mombasa show tournament 2007 and the MTG under 13 team was the winner of the MYSA tournament in April 2008.

Each year MTG organizes Superteam tournaments. Every field selects its best players. The teams play a one day tournament at divisional level. During this tournament each division selects its best players in the open age, under 16 and under 13 categories. The teams play against each other in Kilifi. The best players are selected in the MTG United teams.

Field committees

MTG has programmes in twenty four fields in four divisions in Kilifi and Kaloleni district. In the four divisions the divisional officers support the field committees that organize the MTG activities. The committees recruit teams and manage the football leagues. They organize peer education and make counseling available for the girls. They hold community meetings and meetings with parents. They initiate community services and do an annual fundraising event so that they, and the wider community, understand that they have a contribution to make to the financial running of the organization.

CTC (Coach The Coach)

The coach the coach programme started in 2005 with help of the VSO volunteer. The aim of the programme is to empower girls to coach their own football teams and to improve the standard of football in MTG. To date the CTC programme has trained about two hundred fifty girls as coaches at three different levels: beginners, intermediate and advanced. An MTG CTC manual in Kiswahili has been developed. A group of ten girls have been trained as CTC programme coaches. One girl is coordinating the CTC programme.

Referees

Since the beginning of the project MTG has trained about two hundred girls as referees. The youngest of them is eleven years and she officiates the under 13 matches at her field. The referees are active in the fields in their community and in their divisions during school tournaments. The best referees are selected to lead tournament finals and matches of the MTG United team. Other tournament and league organizers invite MTG referees to officiate matches in their activities.

First aid

First aid training in VitengeniFirst aid training in Vitengeni

More than eighty girls have been trained as first aiders. They assist the players in case of injuries at the football field were they are based. The first aiders do not only use their skills and knowledge in MTG activities there are also resource persons in their schools and in the community. Two of the MTG girls have been trained to do refresher courses with their colleague first aiders.

School tournaments

Every year we organize a primary and a secondary school tournament.

Primary school tournament
Year Winner Runner up

Number of teams

2002  16
2003 Katikirieni Fumbini42
2004 Ezamoyo Chang’ombe68
2005 Sokoke Fumbini95
2006 ­ ­0
2007 Mikomani Bahati59
2008 Kolongoni Silala59
2009    93
Secondary school tournament
Year Winner Runner upNumber of teams
2002  8
2003  0
2004  8
2005  12
2006  16
2007 Kombeni Jaribuni16
2008 St. John’s Kilifi High School16
2009 St. John’s Kasidi20

Toto mobilization programme

The "toto mobilization activity" aims to bring young girls, aged 8 – 12 years through football clinics and health education sessions together.

Objectives

  • To give children a sporting chance
  • To reach as many children as possible for registration of under 13 league and increase members in the organization
  • Early talent sporting and nurturing them
  • To let the children have fun

Major football achievements

2004

  • Hosted Manchester United Under 15s in 2004
  • Rose Konde form MTGK officiated the match between Manchester United Under 15s and Mombasa Under 15s

2005

  • Won top female coach and top scorer at MYSA tournament in Nairobi

2006

  • Won Jamhuri Day Cup in Mombasa
  • Runners up in the KFF league in 2006 in Mombasa

2007

  • Quarter and semifinals in tournaments in Nairobi, semifinals and finals in tournaments in Mombasa
  • Runner up in the KFF league in Mombasa
  • Seven players have been selected for the Coast Province primary school team which became national champion
  • Mbeyu Akida represented Kenyan youth football at the All African Games in Algiers
  • Under 16 team won the Mombasa show tournament. Mbeyu Akida was chosen the best player, Fathime Khamisi the most promising player and Sarah Kitsao the best goalkeeper of the tournament

2008

  • MTG United under 13 won the MYSA tournament in Nairobi
  • MTG organized the first MTG Champions league to determine the best MTG teams in the under 13 and open age categories

2009

  • MTG United Under 16s became the first MTG team to play outside of Kenya, in a tournament in Moshi, Tanzania
  • MTG United were the runners up in tournaments in Kisumu and Mombasa
  • One MTG girl traveled to the Netherlands to talk about her football experiences to donors. While there she practiced with a Dutch women's team