.Mathare North Rangers F.C received different assortment of sportswear courtesy of Mr. Lenze Pekelsma who arranged the collection of the donation from Voetbalshop.nl
In 2010, we founded Mathare North Rangers F.C and currently we have players from age categories U10 to U15 years and Over 16 years respectively.
According the package size this time around our over 16 years players and the coaches were honoured to receive the gift. We will continue to request for more support for our community teams especially in acquiring tracksuits, soccer shoes and balls.
Wilsen initiative is all about offering a different experience, especially in our football journey starting at the base what we call grassroots and our main target are is Mathare North.
Football for Hope At Wilsen initiative (Wi)
” At this era no kids should play bare feet and their football talents combined with education should provide answers out of the vicious circle of poverty through the platforms that have been designed to tackle existing and emerging challenges in the sector.” Wilson Masaka, founder Wilsen initiative (Wi)
One of our vision of Wilsen Initiative (WI) is to be a centre of excellence in offering the best experience in grassroots football that will ensure no top talent is lost or untapped. It starts with what we have to get what we need and no gift or support is small. In a big way, thank you Mr. Lenze and Voetbalshop.nl
On behalf of the team, we say thank you and we continue to encourage everyone to do something for the betterment of our community. Do More, Be More and Be Different.
#SelfMade #BeyondSoccer #QualityEducationLifeLongLearning Do More, Be More & Be Different On 2nd January 2022, we were honored to host the first Skill Up session in collaboration with Mathare North Rangers F.C and Red Eagles F.C. The teams are based in Mathare North community and they are among the few community teams in the area that have different age categories from U10, U13, U15 and the senior teams respectively. We found it necessary to have a Skill Up session after the holiday (back to school) as part of developing the Next Generation Stars (NGS). Read more the about Next Generation Stars
Wilsen Initiative (Wi) Skill Up program.
Skill Up program offers a platform that enables the participants learn to learn, acquire new skills, explore more about themselves, co-create, express themselves, connect with mentors etc. The program seeks to empower and encourage the youth and children to use their acquired skills and talents for prosperity.
The program main pillar is based on quality education and lifelong learning. SKill Up Program – Grassroots Soccer Clubs / Initiatives. The session seeks to engage the youth who are actively involved in soccer activities to live a more responsible life and take education seriously as part of the important pillars of their development. Wilsen initiative (Wi) advocates for lifelong learning, sports for development and the importance of education in all spheres of life.
These are areas that need more emphasis, especially to children and youth playing soccer in disadvantaged communities like Mathare, Korogocho, Kibera, Kayole, Kariobangi, Huruma, Mukuru Kwa Reuben just to mention but a few. Many children and youth playing soccer in the informal settlements have the desire to build a lucrative career in the game especially by playing for top foreign clubs.
The irony is that the environment they live in doesn’t resemble, promote or connect with that dream because of lack of proper infrastructure, poor leadership, lack of opportunities, lack of funding, are just some of the hurdles in a long list that keeps blocking the next generation stars to live their dreams. There are a few exceptional stories that have made it to greater heights in the game, but their stories can’t be told without mentioning the struggles, frustration, lack of support, disappointments, uncertainty etc. within their development journey in becoming professional soccer players.
The question is, how many soccer stars have we lost along the way due to the prevailing environment of uncertainty and different constraints?
Below are the Session Highlights; Teams:- Mathare North Rangers and Red Eagles F.C Team official present; Mathare North Rangers F.C (Edwin, Banda, and Omore) and Red Eagles F.c (David,Vicky and Joe). Date:- 2nd January 2022. Venue: – Drive Inn Primary School.
Facilitator & Mentor Brief Bio;
Simon Odhiambo is a life skills trainer (coach); having trained under the Kenya Youth Empowerment and Opportunities Project (KYEOP) being driven by his commitment to transform lives of youth through training by creating a platform where they can display their skills plus talents and gain sustainable income.
Wilson Masaka has more 18+ years valuable experience of the web design process, teaching, leadership and working in teams, which he acquired from working with different NGO’s and the community at large. He love teaching youths from diverse backgrounds especially from the underprivileged communities. He also believes in the World of sharing of knowledge and skills, as the old adage says, knowledge is power! More abou Wilson Masaka who is the founder of Wilsen initiative and +throughyMylens
The Main Objectives Of the Session;
Explain the life in soccer, especially during the transition. The main highlight being education and soccer, the great values in a player that guarantees progress etc.
Instill the culture of discipline on and off the pitch.
Encourage more self exploration in participating in meaningful activities beyond soccer.
How to develop a career in soccer, life after school and the school life.
Group Discussion and Insights;
1. Qualities of a great soccer player.
2. The quality of a great community soccer club (grassroots football).
3. Discuss life after soccer and come with 10 important points.
4. What Do You Want to Become In The Future. List 10 things you need / must to do.
Personal insights / quotes as shared during the session;
” Let us not only focus on training and winning matches, but also make deliberate efforts in developing whole rounded stars with the admirable quality on and off the field.” Wilson Masaka
” Take precautions on over relying on playing soccer as a gateway towards achieving your dreams. Make sure as long as you play soccer you must also develop other skills, acquire the appropriate knowledge, connect with the right networks and make sure you get educated by going to school.” – Wilson Masaka
” Sports offer good opportunity, but without an education you aren’t sure that you will definitely make it. Injury is one of the threats towards your soccer career, so if you don’t have a good education foundation and support, things might be very tough on your side in case you are out of play because of injury. ” – Kamuzi Banda
” Education is the surest bet in achieving your dream. Play soccer to the best of your ability, but remember there will come a time you will quit playing and one of the things you will remain with is the education ” – Edwin Kipkoech
” You must have the right values to prosper in life. Professionalism starts with the things you do, what you say, how you say it, how you dress, etc. There is nobody born knowing everything but you need to make it your responsibility to learn new things everyday. Just note, there’s time for everything so plan for it appropriately. ” – Coach Davie
” You have to Dream, Plan and Do. Don’t let yourself loose by doing things in randomness. Take time to study who you are, what you want, what you need and how to do it. This is a process and never an event. You have to always repeat it several times to make it a habit that will ensure success.” – Simon Odhiambo.
” It is a new year, which could also mean 365 opportunities on offer. Grab every moment of the day by staying focused and by doing the right things. Don’t waste the your time doing unnecessary stuff, and when it’s time to learn we learn and when it’s time to play we play. We should always separate the two and trust that no matter any hurdle towards our development, we shall overcome through self discipline, working smart, team work and individual brilliance. ” Coach Joe
” Don’t just pass through school, but make it part of your pillar of excellence by attaining good grades. There is a time for everything that you want to do and with the right attitude, discipline, preparation, hard work and being teachable you will excel in everything that you do.” – Victor, Mathare United player.
Session was organized by Red Eagles F.C, Mathare North Rangers, Wilsen Initiative (Wi) & +throughMylens.
We look forward to more of this kind of interactions with the children and the youth in different spaces. There’s more we can offer towards children and youth development out of school life. We need to amplify our efforts through collaboration and networking as a way of fast tracking our impact on society, society where the gaps keep on widening especially on mentorship, resource acquisition, training and infrastructural support.
Let the year 2022, be a year full of collaboration towards achieving a desired goal of nurturing the next generation stars in our community.
On 31st December 2021, we wrapped the year 2021 in style after a successful tournament despite the many challenges encountered in mobilizing resources. We had a total of 19 teams participating in the 5th edition of the tournament that only featured teams from Mathare North zone. There were 9 teams of the age group U14 and 10 teams of age group U12 respectively.
The tournament is part of the ongoing soccer resource mobilization for junior teams (U10 to U15) in Mathare North zone. The tournament and soccer resources mobilization is inspired by Wilsen initiative (Wi) journey which I started in 2011 as platform of reaching young people in different spaces. I want to thank everyone who supported the tournament, call for the year 2021 which led to its success. I want to take this opportunity also thank every team that participated in the tournament. In a special way, congratulations to Olimpus F.C U12 and Mathare Flames Sportive U14 for emerging winners in their respective categories. 🏆🏆🏆
As we open the new chapter of the year 2022, I want to make it a priority to continue mobilizing soccer resources for the junior teams (U10- U15). I won’t rest until every child in Mathare North gets a chance to play safely and with dignity using the appropriate gears for the game.
The year 2021 tournament came to an end, but the soccer resource mobilization continues all through the year, and anyone with any form of support are still welcome. Think of soccer shoes, balls, training bibs, books, soccer jerseys, goal post nets, training cones, track suits etc. I hope we will get an opportunity to even reach many young stars and teams in 2022. My mission is to assist in mobilizing soccer resources for young soccer stars and their teams, especially from U10 to U15 in the urban informal settlements in Mathare North zone.
I want to give the kids an opportunity to play soccer in a more dignified ways starting at a tender age. How It Started This idea came about through my experience playing soccer bare feet from the age of 8 yrs to 14 years when I acquired my first soccer shoe as a gift from the late Helge from Norway during his tournament that was organized in Nairobi at St. Benedict parish field, along Thika road.
The soccer shoes not only protected me from injuries, but also boosted my morale to play soccer to the next level of competition and aspired to make a trip to the prestigious Norway Cup. Part of my lifetime success after acquiring the soccer shoes was participating in the international youth tournament in Norway known as Norway Cup with MYSA U16 teams in the year 1997, 1998 and 1999 respectively So helping the kids acquire the right gears in the game as being one of my giving back model to my community that nurtured my soccer career. I believe acquiring, especially a pair of soccer shoes will protect them from unnecessary injuries while at the same time boost their self esteems and aspirations to grow their talents into the next levels just like I had experienced.
Wilsen Initiative 