Uasin Gishu grannies eye glory in South Africa tourney
Mutei FC Grannies during a past even at Mutei Primary School in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.
What you need to know:
- The tournament hosts, Vakhegula Vakhegula Football Club, also known as the “Soccer Grannies,” are a team of women aged 40 to 80 who play football in Nkowankowa, Limpopo.
- In July 2010, the same year South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup, the Soccer Grannies travelled to the US to participate in the Veterans Cup Tournament (now called Soccer Fest) in Lancaster, Massachusetts.
Uasin Gishu-based grannies football team, known as Mutei FC, were scheduled to leave the country Sunday night for Limpopo, South Africa to compete in the second edition of the Grannies International Football Tournament (GIFT), scheduled from Wednesday to Saturday.
The 30-member delegation comprises 22 players aged 52-75, eight team officials, Uasin Gishu First Lady Salina Bii Chelilim, and County CEC Lucy Njoroge Ng’endo.
Mutei FC, based in Eldoret, have been training at Uhuru Complex Stadium in Nairobi since Wednesday in preparation for the tournament.
The event will take place at Tzaneen Nkowankowa Stadium in Limpopo, with 47 teams from 23 nations, including the USA, France, Togo, Ghana, Zambia, and Mozambique, confirming participation.
Team patron Dr Elizabeth Keitany expressed confidence in the squad’s readiness to make an impact.
“We have been practicing for a year, and it's time to show the world what Kenya has,” she said.
“As the only team from East Africa, we will represent the region and be good ambassadors. The grannies are ready to make history.”
Motivational speaker and former South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) radio presenter, Rebecca ‘Mama Beka’ Ntsanwisi, founder of the tournament, wished the teams a safe journey ahead of the competition.
“To all international teams, as well as their officials, international media houses, journalists, and spectators arriving from the 29th of this month, I wish you a wonderful and safe journey to Tzaneen in the Limpopo Province,” read part of her statement.
“We have done our best and hope that you will have a memorable experience in my home province of Limpopo. Best of luck, and may the best Grannies Football Team win,” she added.
The tournament hosts, Vakhegula Vakhegula Football Club, also known as the “Soccer Grannies,” are a team of women aged 40 to 80 who play football in Nkowankowa, Limpopo.
In July 2010, the same year South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup, the Soccer Grannies travelled to the US to participate in the Veterans Cup Tournament (now called Soccer Fest) in Lancaster, Massachusetts.