By Tony Kipkorir
A few centuries ago, it was very hard to find a girl playing football in Africa due to the misconception that the sport was only meant for boys.
Most communities especially in rural Kenya believed that girls belonged to the kitchen and playing football made them “masculine”.
However, the development of women’s football and various awareness campaigns continues to change the above narrative.
Today, most Kenyan parents have no problem introducing their girls to football at a very young age and supporting their dreams.
An excellent example of such female footballers is the Kenyan prodigy Marion Serenge, who is on her journey to potential success despite starting to take the sport seriously only two years ago.
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The form four student at Archbishop Njenga High School will be part of the junior women’s national team that will take part in the upcoming FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup scheduled to be held in the Dominican Republic between October 16 and November 3.
Before that, the talented player was also part of the Talanta Hela U19 side that represented the country in a high-profile tournament held in Spain.
According to Serenge, the game has done a lot for her and taken her to a level she could only dream of at the start of her career.
“Football has changed my life. From being scouted for the first time in the Chapa Dimba tournament and coming into the limelight to joining the Rising Starlets and knowing how it feels to play for the national team.
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Those were the first things that made me happy because my dream was to play for the Kenyan national team and then play professional football for a European club.
I can say that I am on that journey of achieving my dreams, but for now, football has helped me a lot to the point that it is taking me to the World Cup where I never imagined I could reach,” she stated during an interview with Safaricom.
Serenge further reveals that helping Kenya qualify for the prestigious FIFA World Cup tournament made her heart melt with joy.
The attacking midfielder scored one of the goals in Kenya’s 2-0 second leg win over Burundi, thus ensuring Junior Starlets qualified for the global showpiece with a 5-0 aggregate.
“It was my first time to score for Kenya in an international goal. I was so happy that my goals helped to take Kenya to the World Cup for the first time.
My aim is to play my part in the World Cup so that I can be scouted,” added the one-time Chapa Dimba Western region finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Serenge credits her achievements to his father Fred Serenge, who saw the potential she had and pushed her to work extra hard.
On his part, Fred, who played for various top-flight clubs in the country including AFC Leopards, is thrilled about the success of her daughter.
“I don’t know which English words I can use. I don’t know how to summarize it. But all said and done, I must stay I am a proud father.
Marion Serenge
I feel honored that during my tenure and even my coaching time, I am pushing somebody to the World Cup, and not just somebody but my own daughter. That is a great inspiration and a big reward.
My status also changed. When the journalists in this country awarded Marion the Sports Personality of the Month in June, she got a washing machine. All along the mother has been washing clothes using her hands, but since that time the lifestyle changed,” he explained.
Moreover, the long-serving Archbishop Njenga High School tactician disclosed that her daughter has helped the family to get a bigger television.
Fred ended by divulging that Marion’s talent has caught the eyes of many scouts, with some learning institutions in the United States and Germany already having offered her scholarships.
ALSO READ: SportPesa launch revolutionary Tujiamini Initiative to nurture talent
Tujiamini is an initiative that seeks to provide a platform, including up to 30M shillings in funding, for individual, team sports and various talent, in a year-long campaign that will go around the country in a move aimed at evoking the sense of pride in Kenya’s sports and talent ecosystem.
Applicants are urged to submit their applications through www.tujiamini.co.ke