Everton quartet interacts with youngsters from Mathare
Everton ladies team players take part in an interactive session where they shared skills with young and upcoming footballers from Mathare in at Barclays grounds in Ruaraka on July 6, 2019. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT |
What you need to know:
- Sunday’s game marks Everton’s second visit to East Africa.
Ademola Lookman, Gabby George, Danniel Turner and Simone Magill Saturday spent time with over 50 young children at the Barclays Sports Club in Ruaraka, Nairobi.
Ademola is a forward for English Premier League club Everton FC, and is part of a team of 22 players from the club who are in the country to play a friendly match against Kariobangi Sharks Sunday afternoon at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani. George, Turner and Magill turn out for Everton ladies team.
The quartet interacted with young children who were drawn from two schools in Mathare, which are being supported by the United Kingdom government through the UK-Aid supported ‘Let our Girls Succeed’ programme.
Among those who got a chance to interact with the team from Everton was nine-year old Betty Njeri who expressed joy and delight at having interacted with the players and development coaches from the EPL club.
“I am very happy to be here today. I like playing football, and I feel privileged to interact with some players who we only see on television.
“They have come with their own balls and some other equipment and we have had a lot of fun, especially during the training on how to take penalty shoot-outs. I hope we could be doing this regularly,” she said.
It was an action packed afternoon, which began with the ladies women’s football team took aside female players who had fun playing netball.
Everton players later had a tour of the Kasarani Stadium, venue of today’s highly billed friendly match against Kariobangi sharks.
Sunday’s game marks Everton’s second visit to East Africa. The team travelled to Tanzania in July 2017 to face inaugural SportPesa Super Cup winners Gor Mahia FC in a game the Toffees won 2-1, the first time a Premier League club had visited east Africa.
Forward England forward Theo Walcott and new signing Andre Gomes are among the international stars in Everton’s squad who arrived early Saturday morning via a chartered flight.
Other well known players in Everton’s squad are goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, English defender Leighton Baines and Morgan Schneiderlen who played alongside Victor Wanyama at Southampton.
