This Is How Everton Legends Osman, Pienaar Got A Good Taste Of Nairobi

NAIROBI, Kenya- Having played in the biggest stadiums in the world among them Goodison Park and Anfield, Old Trafford in Manchester, The Emirates and Stamford Bridge in London as well other internationally famous football temples around the world, Everton FC legends, Steve Pienaar and Leon Osman got a real taste of the humble dusty pitches budding Kenyan talent to contend with on Friday in Nairobi.

Having arrived as Blues ambassadors ahead of the pioneering tour of an English Premier League (EPL) to Kenya that will climax with the SportPesa Cup international friendly where Everton will be hosted by Kariobangi Sharks, the retired South African and England international midfielders experienced first hand the insurmountable odds local talent goes through as they chase the cherished dream of playing local football.

Just like Everton, Sharks are a top tier side, having cemented their place in the SportPesa Premier League (SPL) after earning promotion in 2017 and their rapid rise in the Kenyan football pyramid saw them add they 2019 SportPesa Cup regional knockout competition title to the 2018 SportPesa Shield domestic cup they won in October last year.

But that is where the similarities between the two clubs end. As a founder member of the old First Division and EPL (1992) Everton have retained their pride and place among the money-spinning English football elite, with their home, Goodison famous as one of world football's oldest and grandest stadiums.

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Their ultra-modern USM Finch Farm training complex with its 10-full size grass pitches on three plateaus, gym, synthetic indoor training pitch, Hydrotherapy pools, spa, sauna, physiotherapy rooms, Media centre, Video lounges including an editing suite is a far cry from what is available to Sharks or any other Kenyan top flight team.

Ask any SPL champions Gor Mahia FC player who got a chance to sample facilities at Finch Farm last year when they travelled to play Everton at Goodison if in need of reference.

On the second full day of their visit to Kenya, Pienaar in particular, who is on his first ever tour of Kenya was bowled out by the stark contrast between what was available for him as a dependable Everton first team player.

For Osman who accompanied his former teammate to the sprawling Kariobangi estate, the crime-infested low income residential settlement Sharks trace their roots, for his second time on Friday having been there in November 2017, it was still a telling reminder of the hurdles local talent has to overcome to make it to the top of the game.

However, Everton is determined to make a difference in the area as well as other grassroots talent hot spots in the country thanks to their trend-setting partnership with technology and entertainment business, SportPesa that has not only seen the Blues become the first EPL team to play in East Africa but further to that, blazed the trail in community outreach and technical exchange programmes in Kenya and Tanzania.

Football clinic

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The presence of former Bafana Bafana captain Pienaar and Osman who played for the junior and senior Three Lions at the dusty Kariobangi North Primary School Grounds was to mark the culmination of a five-day football clinic by members of the Everton coaching staff that has imparted players and coaches drawn from community teams around Nairobi with invaluable skills to enhance their careers.

Donning their playing boots once more, the Blues crowd favourites turned ambassadors captained two select sides for an exhibition match where the young local players put the knowledge learnt to the test besides getting up close with two men who made it to the apex of the international game.

Ahead of the encounter, the youths were taken through various football drills by the Blues tacticians which included sack races, taking spot kicks, sprints, ball dribbling, three-legged races and tug of war to improve on their match fitness and tactical awareness.

“The three-legged race is meant to teach the players the value of balance, communication and team work in a game, they have to be united to win, ” Everton FC Primary School Sports Coach Steven Watt explained.

Disability Development Coach Jessica McNally who took the participants on ball dribbling added that the exercises help players to adopt speed, agility and good coordination while making passes.

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Sprints sessions were carried out by United Kingdom Soccer Camp Co-ordinator Andrew Whittaker who was impressed with the enthusiasm local talent received the coaching, recognising it was another critical step towards establishing their professional football careers.

ONE FOR THE KEEPS: Everton FC ambassador, Leon Osman (left) poses for a selfie with a stall owner during his walkabout in Nairobi on Friday, July 5, 2019. PHOTO/SPN

“I taught the children how sprints can aid their swiftness and endurance,I’m glad they adapted so well,” Whittaker went on.

The sack race was mashalled by Cohesion Coach Dale Davis who explained that this form of training aids in building stamina and speed-work while Health and Well-being Manager, Jonathan Garside said practicing penalties is meant to cultivate accuracy.

Apart from the workshop and the friendly game, the coaches joined the children in a tree planting exercise at the school as part of Everton In The Community  (EITC) environmental conservation drive and of course, as a permanent reminder of the day when the Blues came to town.

Club adulation

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Garside, who headed the EITC group declared their Kariobangi mission successful where they were able to share with Kenyans the benefits of their award winning community programme that has made a difference in the impoverished areas of their home city Liverpool, earning the club adulation and respect from both sides of the Merseyside River.

“We used football as a form of therapy to improve on the players mental skills, resilience, confidence, self esteem and psychological well-being. The clinics consisted theory training in the morning, practical sessions in the afternoon and social action in the evening.

“We are so happy to be in Kenya to do what we like with such talented players and their coaches. We saw a lot of quality players and we hope the sessions we had with them will help them to improve on the way they look at football,” Garside highlighted.

After the visit to Kariobangi, Osman (352) and Pienaar (189) who have a combined 541 appearances for the Everton were later taken around Nairobi by Kenyan dance hall star, Kevin 'Love Child' Wyre where they came face to face with the energetic life of the Kenyan capital. Despite leaving the Blues in 2016, the pair still made heads turns as excited fans stole opportunities to grab selfies.

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"What a great guy. WyreDaLoveChild to show @Osman21Leon and myself around he’s city.Nairobi #EvertonInKenya," Pienaar tweeted.

Sharks beat Bandari FC 1-0 in the 2019 SportPesa Cup final in Dar, Tanzania on January 27 to book a date with the nine time English league champions and in so doing, achieved more for the community they call home than they could ever have imagined. 

Everton arrived in country on Saturday morning ahead of the official start of their 2018/19 pre-season tour but even before their chartered flight touches down in Nairobi, the club as an entity has already melted the hearts of a community some 4418 miles (7110.08km) from Liverpool.  

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Kenya dancehall sensation, Kevin 'Love Child' Wyre greets eager fans on Friday, July 5, 2019 when he took Everton FC legends, Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar around Nairobi in one of the Everton in Kenya tour activities aimed at connecting with local people. PHOTO/SPN