The footballer’s scramble

Whenever we arrive at Nakuru Blankets to watch the boys play or do some coaching the stampede towards our vehicle as we open the doors is always inevitable. This is for the simple reason that the likelihood is we have a load of kit or boots or something that will help them stuffed in the back of the truck.

The biggest melee is always caused by the eagerness for a pair of boots that actually has a full set of studs and isn’t splitting at the seams. If you think about the last pair of boots you had and the time at which you deemed them ‘finished’… multiply that by 100 and then you may be close to some of the boots these boys play in. On frequent occasions, as they have been rooting through our bags looking for a new pair I have caught a glimpse of their current boots. It is amazing that they can stand up in them, let alone play a game of football. Often every single stud has been ground down to nothing, splits are evident all over the boot and it looks more like an Alsatian has had it as a toy than a football boot.

Once all has calmed down and the boys have actually realised that they have taken a boot three sizes too big for them we always have a good laugh together. I’m not surprised they need that first five minutes to scramble about and see what they can find because the reality is this is their only opportunity to get their hands on a very second hand but to them, brand new boot.