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In 2016, the national women's football team, Harambee Starlets, won the hearts of many football fans after qualifying for the 10th edition of the Africa Women Cup of Nations held in Cameroon on away goal rule following a 3-3 aggregate score against Algeria.
As part of the preparation for the continental showpiece, a Bulgarian Agency LTA organised for an invitation to the COTIF tournament in Valencia, Spain to offer Harambee Starlets players a platform to market themselves to scouts who were expected to throng the tourney. Did the tournament turn out good for the players that got an opportunity to showcase their talents? Your guess is as good as mine.
It came as no surprise when Esse Akida penned a two-year deal with Turkish Premier League side Besiktas last month. This is because just like Jentrix Shikangwa, the 2019 Cecafa Women Championship golden boot winner and Soya award most promising player, Akida was the toast of the team and the silver lining in Kenya women football’s dark days.
Three years ago when Kenya finished fourth in the COTIF tournament, Akida emerged top scorer with five goals, which featured a hat-trick in Kenya’s 3-0 win over Portuguese giants Benfica and a brace against Spanish side RCD Espanyol (3-1).
It is during such tournaments, like the Turkish Women Cup, that hard work beats talent and in the end, whoever is hungry for success carries the day.
Was the former Spedag FC forward the most talented player in the 2016 team? I will tell you for a fact that she wasn't. She was part of a star-studded team that had the likes of left-back Wendy Achieng, Christine Nafula, Mary Kinuthia, a left-footed forward who is such a joy to watch and loves toying around with defenders, and Cheris Avilia who scored the historic goal that booked Kenya a ticket to Awcon for the first time, just to mention a few.
The COTIF tournament, despite the backlash from fans who doubted its suitability for Starlets' Awcon preparations, was a breeding ground for Kenya's future stars and today the women football fraternity is enjoying the fruits with more players turning professional.
In subsequent years, Nafula, Kinuthia and Terry Engesha signed for Swedish Division Two outfit Dalhem IF with others like Corazone Aquino and Cynthia Shilwatso joining the paid ranks in Portugal and Spain respectively. Such success does not come when you opt for cost-friendly build-up matches with East African sides but only when our players face the best in the world.
Friendlies are not organised for the sake of getting good results and improving Fifa ranking, but also with an aim of strategically marketing players to land opportunities to compete with the best in the global stage. That is the impact that taking part in the Turkish Women’s Cup will have on the youngsters that will be representing the country.
You must be wondering why I dwelled too much on the COTIF tournament and only touched on the Turkish Women’s tourney sparingly. It's simple, the two have telling similarities and act as a spring board that will propel the talented players that have been drafted in the squad to greater heights.
Harambee Starlets are fresh from winning the Cecafa Women Championship but will be out to avenge the 3-2 loss they suffered at the hands of the Black Queens of Ghana during the Tokyo Olympics qualifiers, when they meet in Group "B" which also has Chile and Northern Ireland. Ghana look like they have an upper hand given that their squad of 18 comprises five foreign-based players. However, it will still be a great learning experience for Kenyan players who not only have age on their side, but will be relishing the chance to join their counterparts who have recently made big moves in Europe.
Like I said earlier, it is through such tournaments that players with an edge, who want it more, reap big. Nobody can stop an idea whose time has come, the floodgates have been opened and blessings are abundant. As they say, when it rains, it pours!
