Murang’a Seal would now be playing in the top flight football league in the country had it not been for the confusion that reigned supreme in the game’s management.
The club played two-legged play off matches against Wazito FC and despite losing on aggregate, when Wazito announced they were pulling out of the Kenyan Premier League, Murang’a Seal was expected to get the chance.
Then the Sports Disputes Tribunal directed that the club gets back the six points deducted from their matches against Muhioroni Youth and Zoo Kericho.
Had this been implemented by the Caretaker Committee, Murang’a Seal would automatically be winners of the National Super League.
But that was not to be, the Caretaker Committee that was managing the league then was edged out after the Kenya Kwanza government took over and reinstated the disbanded Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee went on to declare the leagues managed by the Caretaker Committee as null and void. With that any hopes of Murang’a Seal playing in the KPL were dashed.
But playing in the Kenyan Premier League is not the ultimate ambition of the club according to its chairman Robert Macharia.
Murang’a Seal (acronym for Sports Excellence Academy Limited) seeks to become the best football academy in the region producing talent not only for the local clubs but also abroad.
“Of course, playing in the league will offer the best platform for most of our players to showcase their talent locally, but we want to identify very young talent, get a pool of coaches and place them at the academy where they will not only develop their football skills but also go to school,” said Robert Macharia, the founder and chairman of the club.
Already, Macharia says, the club has acquired 26 acres of land where it plans to build its own boarding house, restaurant, clinic, entertainment hall, gym, swimming pool and classrooms, as well as training pitches and a stadium.
“We want to develop a structure where the curriculum combines training on the pitch with classroom sessions,” said Macharia.
“The idea is to have the students get the basic education just like others while also playing football,” he stated.
He says his vision is to have the students board from the age of 10 and stay and play together until they turn 18 when they clear their O-Levels.
“Here they will be taught also different skills apart from the basic education and football. When they turn 18, some will pursue football while others will be head to either the universities or middle level colleges,” observed Macharia.
Macharia, a career lawyer, mooted the idea of setting up an academy when he visited London to watch a English Premier League clash between Arsenal and Manchester City.
“Of course I was impressed by the infrastructure but I also realized that when it comes to talent, we have the players here who if nurtured well can match the big players we watch daily on television.
“What I saw in terms of quality is no different from what we have here in Kenya, but what makes them tick is the coaching they get from a very young age, the exposure and the infrastructure. Then there is the aspect of sponsorship and government support,” he noted.
He continued: “I visited the Southampton Academy and got impressed by what they have done there. It is no surprise they produce the best young talents in the country. There (Southampton) you can see progression from Under 10 up to Under 17.”
It is more or less a similar model that Macharia says he wants to introduce at Murang’a Seal which he formed in 2016.
“We have a master plan; we will set up the right infrastructure, pick boys on merit, educate them in a way they will be an inspiration to other children who want to take up soccer as a career,” he explained.
But as this project picks up, Macharia has built a team that is already making a mark in the National Super League.
He accommodates all the players (most of whom he picked from the nearby slums) at his home in Murang’a. The players get allowances to manage their daily needs and winning bonuses.
“They also get points for engaging in community services,” Macharia told.
When he set up the team, soon he realized there was no proper stadium in Murang’a for them.
He tried to partner with the county government to upgrade the Mumbi Stadium, but was frustrated at the pace the process was taking.
“I decided to do my own pitch. Did research on the best grass for the playing surface and I can say with a doubt that we have the best playing ground in the country today.”
Former Sofapaka coach Ezekiel Akwana is the man tasked to set up a youth academy while at the same time doubling as head coach of the club.
“He (Akwana) understands my vision for the academy and he has a football brain,” observed Macharia, of the former Kenyan international.
The project to cost upwards of Sh. 300 million will be on a 26-acre land part of which will form the academy and school, from Primary level to secondary. There will also be training pitches and a stadium.
“It will operate like an ordinary school where the students attend classes. I want to give young boys from age of 10 the best opportunity to get the best primary and secondary education in a great environment and also nurture their football talent,” concluded an optimistic Macharia.
