Arsenal coaches assist Alive & Kicking in Kenya

Last week was a pivotal moment in the history of Arsenal FC. This was not just because of their 2-1 defeat of European football giants Barcelona, but also because two of their coaches were given the opportunity to run a series of training sessions with Kenyan sports groups in association with Alive & Kicking.

Football coaches Steve Eadon and Ognjen Soskic were in Kenya as part of an ongoing Arsenal in the Community programme which sends young coaches, who have been trained by Arsenal, to coach some of the poorest children in the country. Throughout last week, Steve and Ognjen ran sessions with twelve different projects and sports groups across Nairobi, as arranged by the staff at Alive & Kicking Kenya. The projects and teams that were put through their paces included Kibera Mpira Mtaani and a group from Sporting Chance International.

The Kibera slum, where Mpira Mtaani are based, is estimated to be the second-largest slum in Africa and the arrival of two Arsenal representatives was warmly received. This story was featured on Citizen TV in Kenya (see the YouTube video above), and there are further photos below from some of the training days.

The coaching sessions that the Arsenal pair gave involved the use of Alive & Kicking footballs, which were branded with Arsenal’s logo in recognition of their involvement. Alive & Kicking’s partnership with the club continues to be a source of pride for both the charity and for Arsenal, to whom we extend our ongoing gratitude.