Old is gold: Tales of balling Rift Valley grannies eyeing international glory

Shortly before 4pm on a Thursday, we arrived at Yokot Primary School in Kipsoen, Keiyo North, Elgeyo Marakwet County where a group of grannies had gathered for a football training session.

The two teams - Mutei Grannies Football Club and Kipseon Football Club - had already taken their sides, and the day’s players warming up for the evening friendly match under the Grannies Tournament Kenya.

Around the football pitch, dozens of excited fans were gathered, most of them women who had come to cheer on the elderly players.

Soon after briefing from their respective coaches and team managers, the game begins, and it is all exciting as the elderly women go after the ball, in a captivating game that kept us and the fans engaged all through.

We soon learn that the grannies have been meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and some weekends for training. Their coming together was an idea by Dr Elizabeth Keitany, founder of the Grannies Tournament Kenya.

This is how the idea came about. She had accompanied her mother on a hospital visit one day when the doctor recommended frequent exercise to manage the health challenges that come with old age and to keep her busy.

As she researched the kind of exercises that she could recommend to her mother, she came across Mama Beka Foundation, founder of the world-renowned soccer grannies team Vakhegula Vakhegula FC in South Africa, and got interested.

She had found an answer. Football for the Kenyan grannies.

After engaging Mama Beka, she would embark on the process of identifying a coach and reaching out to grannies in her Elgeyo Marakwet County to kick off this dream of keeping the elderly women fit. She coined it around the motto- kick for health.

It was not easy. She had to move from house to house in Elgeyo Marakwet and neighboring Uasin Gishu counties combing through homes and knocking on doors to sell her idea of keeping the grannies fit, and this gave birth to the two teams- Kipsoen and Mutei.

“It was a long shot convincing them at first, and it took a lot of patience,” she told Nation.Africa in an interview.

Team manager David Wanyo explained that to form the team, they had to first set an age limit, which was 50 years and above - to about 75. They had to look out for public barazas to reach out to grannies, and even pass their message through the local churches.

Read: World Cup bug bites SA grandmas  

As they say, the rest is history. The Mutei and Kipsoen Football Clubs are now fully in place and the grannies who have been practicing for the past couple of months preparing for the Grannies International Football tournament in South Africa in April.

“We are happy that Dr Keitany started this initiative. It was a good idea. She mobilized us and we ran with it,” said Mr Wanyo- the team manager of Kipseon FC.

“It is very heartwarming to see grannies play football. It is the first time we have seen grannies playing football in Kenya, and we ask the national and county governments and other well-wishers to come in,” he said.

At Yokot Primary School training, the grannies were active, and looking happy.

Some of them were former local brewers, we learned.

“Absolutely, this is a big thing. We started small, and we are happy with the progress,” Dr Keitany said.

Among the eldest players is 72-year-old Mary Kandie Shokwei. The mother of eight said she played as a young girl and felt good doing it again.

Chepchumba Kibet, 52, learned about the grannies’ football club through a friend. She said she felt better and had even healed from a backache problem.

“I cut some weight as had been recommended by the doctor and I sleep better and wake up feeling lighter,” she told Nation.Africa.

The Mutei Grannies FC from Tembelio, Uasin Gishu County, will be representing Kenya in the upcoming Grannies International Football tournament scheduled to take place in South Africa from April 2 to April 5.

Coach Beatrice Karanja of Mutei FC and her assistant Isaac Ombaso Morara said they train every Sunday after church. Her oldest team member is a 70-year-old granny, and the youngest is 52.

She says it was initially challenging, but their determination to manage health challenges among the elderly women kept them going.

She reveals that the families of the playing grannies welcome the idea and have been very supportive after appreciating that physical exercise can be therapeutic.

When they meet, the grannies are taken through a warm-up session, which entails press-ups, and frog jumps, among other exercises for about 45 minutes. But before then, their vitals are checked in an elaborate session, including blood pressure.

At the start, uniforms, including playing shoes and the ball were a challenge, as they had one ball. They have had to invest in grannies playing first aid kits for the training sessions and games, with the founder noting that their safety comes first.

Mr John Kiplagat Belio, the coach of Kipsoen Women FC revealed his club had 27 players, who all come for practice.

“They play to exercise their bodies and to stay fit,” he said, revealing that he had coached them to participate in the Governor’s Cup in Elgeyo Marakwet County.

“You can see that they are all glowing, and this is our joy. Some don’t even look their age. We hope to go far with this,” he said.

A player under Mutei FC, 64-year old- Anna Torotich says after practice her body is in better shape, and she feels more active.

“We talked to our husbands and they supported us, having understood the reason behind it. We were told exercising will help us stay flexible and help us manage some health challenges that come with old age,” said the granny whose eldest child is aged 40 and youngest 20.

For some of them, finding time to play was a challenge. But they have been able to find a good balance, and their families have been supportive in understanding why they are doing it and the benefits.

Before they show up for training, however, the grannies have to attend to their family duties and related chores, and this keeps their families in harmony and husbands contended.

Dr Keitany, the founder of Grannies Tournament Kenya says their joy is to see the grannies keeping fit.

“Whenever they play they go back home smiling,” she said.

“Looking at me, I look 18, yet I have grandchildren,” added Gertrude Mutai, 55, a player, confirming the feeling among the grannies.

Among the toothing challenges in the initiative was the lack of sporting kits as most grannies played in their skirts.

“It was not easy starting this, and I thank the team managers because they welcomed and embraced the idea, and the message spread like wildfire,” she said.

During sensitization last year, she revealed many elderly women came out to express interest in taking part.

“The community received it well. It is like they were waiting for something like this because they were so excited,” she said.

While some husbands were initially reluctant to release their wives, they gradually allowed them to join and have since fully embraced the idea. This mattered because, in the Kalenjin community, women could barely do something without their husbands’ permission, especially at the grassroots.

Leah Kimeli, 56, whose firstborn is 35 years old, says it was hard at the beginning because of age.

“Running around the football pitch was hard. But now I feel a lot fitter. I can run without feeling any congestion in the chest- this is medicine,” she said.

“Before this, we thought such games were for children and younger people. But we are so happy and excited that we can also play, and we even feel younger,” she said.

Footballer Pascal Kipkoech, team manager of the Iten Starlets which started in 2013 said seeing grannies playing gave a joyful feeling.

His grandmother was among the players in the field, and he revealed she had arthritis challenges.

“I am happy that she can run now without challenges,” he said.

The Grannies International Football Tournament is scheduled for April 2 to April 5 this year in South Africa.

In the buildup for the international encounter, the grannies have so far played friendly matches locally, including against the Millennium Ladies, comprising their daughters and granddaughters where they narrowly lost 1-0.

“We eventually intend to roll this out nationally,” revealed the founder Dr Keitany.

Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii termed it an amazing surprise to see grannies playing and said the county was proud to produce a team that will be headed to South Africa for international soccer with other grannies.

“Talent has opened a unique opportunity in their lifetime to board an international flight. We are here to surprise the whole world,” he said.

cwafula@ke.nationmedia.com