How Kisumu AllStars thrives despite myriad tribulations

On June 11, Kisumu AllStars were hosted for a luncheon at the Grand Royal Swiss hotel in Kisumu by the county woman representative Rosa Buyu. The event attested to the fact that people will only associate with success and that after every hardship comes a relief.

Two days before the luncheon, All Stars fondly referred to as “The Blue Eagles” were the talk of town. In fact, they trended on twitter at number three thanks to their promotion to the Kenyan Premier League (SPL) from the second-tier National Super League (NSL).

A 7-1 thrashing of former SPL side Thika United at Thika Stadium had fired the Kisumu County-based football club to the limelight. The huge victory saw them attain 80 points, just one shy of NSL champions Wazito.

The outstanding performance by the two teams earned them a place in the upcoming KPL season. Football Kenya Federation (FKF) rules states that the first two teams on the 20-team league at the end of every season are promoted to the top tier league.

Interestingly, while Wazito won the 2018/2019 NSL title, it is AllStars that became the darling of many, receiving congratulatory messages from all quarters including politicians, among them ODM leader Raila Odinga.

This treatment was a stark contrast to the club’s situation about two years ago, when only a handful of fans would show up to the stadium to support them.

The names of two individuals will always stand out whenever the history of AllStars is discussed - that of former FKF Technical director Andreas Spiers and Harambee Stars Under-17 coach Michael Amenga.

Around November 2017, the long and torturous journey of establishing AllStars begun, Kisumu governor Anyang’ Nyong’o tasking Spiers, Amenga and a host of local coaches with the responsibility.

In his manifesto, Governor Nyong’o had highlighted the development of sports as one of the key areas that he would focus on once in office. He planned to support grass roots sports activities and provide the required sports facilities.

REPLACE PALOS

FKF had invited the Kisumu County government to form a football club to fill the place of Palos FC who pulled out of the second division due to persistent financial difficulties.

Amid heightened complaints from a section of individuals who wanted to be part of the process, others argued that the county government should sponsor Palos instead of forming a new team.

Nonetheless, work begun in earnest at ward level under the watch of selected prominent local coaches.

More than 500 footballers showed up at different venues to try their luck in the trials and Governor Nyong’o and the County Sports Minister Achie Alai then termed the initiative a step towards restoring the lakeside city’s lost glory of being a bedrock of football talent.

The trials at ward level lasted a week, before the exercise moved to the 5,000 capacity Moi Stadium, where Spiers and Amenga were involved.

Each of the more than 100 footballers who made it past the ward level put their best in the trials, solely with the hope of catching the eyes of the tacticians to make it to the new team.

The vigorous training performed under the scorching sun on the AstroTurf, made the trials look like something close to a military drill.

Nevertheless, none of the boys gave up since this was the opportunity they had been yearning for to achieve their dream of playing professional football.

At the end of the three-day exercise, Spiers, Amenga and a host of local coaches involved named a 30-man squad to do duty for the new club.

It was then named Kisumu AllStars a few weeks later after being chosen from several options that had been floated, Kisumu United among them.

Coincidentally, Kisumu AllStars existed before in the 1990s but collapsed. A 1999 Kenya Premier League table that surfaced in one of the tweets immediately AllStars sealed a place in the top-tier league indicated that they finished rock bottom of the 21-team league with only 6 points in 1999.

Before he returned to Nairobi, Spiers had a message for the players; “Congratulations on your selection to the team. When we began the exercise, there were more than 100 players, which means you are among the best in the region.”

“Football is all about hard work and discipline, it is every player’s dream to play for the national team and I am happy to inform you that you can make it there with discipline and commitment.” These statement were echoed by Amenga.

Now with a team in place, it was time to get down to the business of preparing for the new season. Nick Aketch and Paul Ogai took over the reins of the club as head coach and assistant coach respectively.

After the formation of the club, rarely would a county government event attended by Governor Nyong’o, his deputy Mathews Owili and county executive Alai end without them mentioning the name of the club.
The trio talked about the club, painting a picture of a team destined for success thanks to political goodwill and adequate support by sponsor, the Kisumu County government.

Following a colourful launch in February 2018, the players had nothing to worry about, as it assured them of a season free from financial difficulties that have unfortunately become synonymous with some Kenyan clubs.

“Because the team has just been formed it does not have a sponsor and therefore, the county government will cater for all the needs now as we look for other sponsors,” said Alai then to the delight of the players.

But, it never took long before all the big talk turned to lip service from county government officials. The AllStars ship began to leak barely four months later.

On several occasions, the club’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nicholas Ochieng’ and other officials struggled to keep it afloat with their own funds, as the Kisumu County government often failed to avail funds on time to cater for expenses.

Alongside former team manager Benson Basolo, the two once raised Sh9,000 at the eleventh hour, which saved the club from handing an opponent a walkover at home.

Apart from showing up for away matches late, the players’ accounts remained empty due to constant delays in paying of allowances and salaries.

LOVE FOR THE GAME

Most of them turned up at the stadium just for the love of football.

With the club starring at yet again going bust, the county government moved to arrest the situation by organising a funds drive in May 2018, which realised Sh 3,263,100.

It gave the players hope that they would receive salary for the first time in seven months, but that turned out not to be the case. The money was instead used to settle part of the debts the team had accrued.

AllStars’ woes deepened in October last year when they fielded only eight players against Nairobi City Stars after the rest failed to travel due to lack of funds. While the “Blue Eagles” put a spirited fight in the encounter, they lost 2-0.

Unfulfilled promises had cost the team promotion to the top tier league on their NSL debut. From tying at the top with Western Stima at one point during the season, the team’s performance deteriorated to them finishing a disappointing 13th after garnering 42 points.

Coach Aketch then dumped the broke AllStars a few months to the start of new season together while several other top players who moved to other clubs.

He was coy on whether his departure had been occasioned by the financial crisis that the club had been grappling with, only saying: “Had the team received the necessary support, it would have secured a place in the topflight.”

By this time, All Stars assistant coach Ogai had also crossed over to Western Stima as head coach and had just reigned his authority in coaching by guiding the power men back to the top tier SPL.

Assistant coach and former AFC Leopard player Francis Oduor was now the man charged with guiding AllStars to the top flight league amid the biting financial constraints.

Things improved for the team in 2019 with the county government promising to factor their expenses in the budget.

The team was also assured of transport courtesy of a bus provided by Sunset Hotel, while Royal Dental Clinic agreed to provide them with playing and training kit in a two-year sponsorship deal.

The sponsorship also included free dental treatment for the 31 players and the eight officials. It was a reprieve to the team as they only had one playing kit with none for training.

In May, just a few weeks to the end of the season, the writing was on the wall that AllStars were headed towards qualifying for the SPL barely two years after their reconstitution.

Their penultimate match against Green Commandos attracted masses who included top county government officials. Songs, dances and sounds of vuvuzela rent the air at Moi Stadium for the entire 90 minutes. They won the match 4-0.

Aware of the daunting task that awaited them against Thika United four days later, the devolved unit hired buses to ferry fans to Thika stadium to cheer the team and 7-1 was the result after the final whistle in favour of coach Oduor’s side.

KPL PROMOTION

Against all odds, Kisumu All Stars attained the feat! They qualified for the 2019/2020 KPL season.

Since then, the club has endeared itself to many people who are eagerly waiting for the new season to troop to various stadia and cheer on the team. One of their most awaited match is that pitting them against record Kenyan champions Gor Mahia whom they refer to as their “Big Brothers”.

Apart from the showdown on the pitch, how the fans will carry themselves during the match promises to be another centre of attraction.

The club has roped in veteran tactician Henry Omino as part of their preparations for their debut in the top flight league and he has hinted that the team will excel in the SPL.

"All teams will be starting on the same level, so no one should write us off. They (other teams) should prepare for tough matches when they visit Moi stadium,” coach Omino told Nation Sport.

But, they will only be a force to reckon with in the top tier league if the County government and other stakeholders move with speed to solve the persistent financial crises that continue to hit the team and put their preparations in limbo.

The club released nine players after the end of last season but is yet to replace them.

In the 2019/20 budget, which is yet to be approved by the County Assembly, the club has been allocated a paltry Sh1million which has raised concerns over the devolved unit’s commitment towards the team.

“The club may fail to sign any new players because there are no funds. Preseason training may even fail to take place as well. We are facing mass exodus because the players have not signed their contracts,” sources familiar with the situation intimated.

“They (top officials at the county) should stop micromanaging the team and let the club’s board and management team run it, otherwise the team is as good as dead,” the sources added.

AllStars held trials for over two weeks at Moi stadium in Kisumu where more than 50 footballers turned up.

Omino then said they had identified promising talents who would be part of the team for the upcoming campaign. Unfortunately, this has not happened and reports indicate the remaining players at the club have threatened to leave because they are not under contract. Omino may also walk out since he is yet to be offered a contract over a month since taking over.

Club CEO Nicholas Ochieng’ told Nation Sport they are waiting on some approvals from the county government before signing new players.

All Stars will make their KPL debut at home - Moi Stadium against Ulinzi Stars on August 31.