Full Stadiums: Kenyan football fan culture is on the ascend

There is something beautiful happening in the Kenyan football sphere. Football in our country is changing but the change is outside the pitch. The past fortnight has witnessed full stadiums in games featuring the Harambee Stars as well as in the Kenya Premier League (KPL).

On Sunday, Kenya’s biggest local derby, the Mashemeji derby, took place at a packed Nyayo stadium. This was only a week after fans filled the ground to watch Kenya lose 2-1 to Gabon in a world Cup qualifier. Meanwhile in Gusii Stadium, fans thronged the stadium to witness Shabana FC thrash Muranga Seal 3-0 in a KPL match.

Sports journalist Kevin Teya (https://x.com/TeyaKevin) reported that the Mashemeji derby generated 7.3 million from ticket sales while Shabana managed 1.8 million as the home team. Eye catching figures that make you take notice. Kenyan football fans have long been criticised as too frugal when it came to investing in their own teams. This as the figures show is no longer the case considering fan merchandise is also hot property among football fans.

Pictures of Kenyan stadiums full have dominated my social media timeline over the past fortnight. Videos of fans singing, dancing and giving pre-match as well as post-match interviews have drilled home the point that the fan culture in Kenya is on the up. Being a football fan is becoming cool and no longer a tribal affair as was the stereotype a while back.

Concerns about the fan culture always come up when discussing major tournaments in Africa. Giving East Africa hosting rights for both CHAN 2025 and AFCON 2027 will have raised some eyebrows in the continent considering the region is more of powerhouse in Athletics. The packed stadiums in Kenya over the last weeks will have alleviated some of those fears and I am sure CAF took notice.

Kenyan football is on the right path off the pitch but the quality on the pitch still has some big question marks. Gor Mahia coach Sinisa Mihica told journalists that most goals in Kenya come from free-kicks, corners and penalties due to the poor state of the playing pitch. Do stats back up his claim or is he portraying Kenyan football in bad light as some say. Either way he raises an interesting debate.

 

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