Here we go again! The long history of the Malindi soccer academy—which keeps young people away from the harmful temptations of the streets—begins anew this year with the start of the national championship. Thanks to the generous support of owner Pasquale Pes, Real Malindi has been able to register for the tournament and will compete with its senior team.
It’s not just a whim; having a “senior” team is essential for many reasons: first, many of the players come from the town’s outskirts, and thanks to the help of the volunteer organization Karibuni Onlus, they’ve been able to study and train their way to the dream of making the first team. Others are promising young talents in regional soccer who set a good example for the younger kids and serve as their idols. But in order to dream of becoming like them or like other more famous players, the younger kids know they’ll have to do well in school.
This is the philosophy behind the soccer academy founded by Malindikenya.net: if you don’t study, you’re not on the team; if you don’t excel, you’ll never be a starter.
Real Malindi is an ethical project applied to soccer, where children and teenagers—as well as the women’s team, which has been active for two years and is awaiting a sponsor to participate in a league—learn to respect others, the environment, and their families.
These are the principles under which Real Malindi’s general manager, Joseph “Maisha” Nyababwe, was raised. He was the first captain of the youth team, which in 2009 was called Karibuni Genoa Malindi. With great determination and our support, Joseph graduated two years ago with a degree in human resources management and now runs the very academy that shaped him as a man, after a series of injuries prevented him from advancing as a soccer player.
In addition to having trained other college and high school graduates, over the years some of the former youth players from 2009 have played in the Kenyan Premier League and abroad.
In 2011, the Malindikenya soccer academy was honored by Malindi’s local authorities because petty crime had decreased by 40% in the neighborhoods where the boys come from, Ganda and Furunzi.
It is pointless to complain that crime is rising in the town if nothing is done to pull young people out of the downward spiral of a dissolute life, devoid of values and hope. The temptations—alcohol, drugs, and, for girls, prostitution—are many, and if they are allowed to flourish without offering anything attractive as an alternative, they eventually prevail and lead to problems for the rest of the residents as well. This is one of the reasons we believe in this project, and fortunately there are people who have realized the importance of sports for young people, such as Pasquale Pes, who spent years working with the Italian national university and youth teams, and who are giving us a huge hand. Without him and his vital contribution, and without Karibuni handling the educational side, we couldn’t move forward.
So, tomorrow we kick off at home against a newly promoted team, Descent FC.
Go Real Malindi!