Leading online gaming firm SportPesa, the main sponsor of Kenya’s topflight football league known as the SportPesa League, is set to introduce monthly awards aimed at recognizing and rewarding the best-performing players and coaches in the competition.
The initiative will kick off with awards for the month of October and is part of the company’s broader plan to make the league more competitive and enhance its overall quality.
Speaking about the new development, SportPesa Partnership and Sponsorships manager Japheth Akhulia confirmed the awards will include both the Player of the Month and Coach of the Month categories.
SportPesa League awards
“We are going to have Player of the Month and Coach of the Month awards starting this November. This will help improve the quality of the game,” Akhulia said ahead of the introduction of the monthly awards as the league heads into Matchday 7.
Akhulia explained that SportPesa, in collaboration with data company Tisini, has been providing detailed match statistics throughout the season, an initiative that has been well received by fans and stakeholders.
The data highlights top performers, team performances and overall pre and post game analysis, providing valuable insight into the league’s progress.
“We have been giving out stats for every match. After each game, we share detailed statistics across all our platforms, helping fans and analysts understand which team played better, which player impressed, and who was named the Man of the Match,” Akhulia noted.
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“Starting this month, we will also recognize the Player of the Month and Coach of the Month. In addition, we will select a Team of the Month based on consistent performances. With these initiatives, we believe the league will become more competitive.”
Akhulia further emphasized that the initiative is not just about competition but also about building a strong foundation for the national team.
He believes that by creating a culture of competition and accountability through data-driven recognition, the quality of local football will rise significantly.
“With the stats and monthly awards, I believe coach McCarthy, the Harambee Stars head coach, will have a good problem with too many players performing well and competing for places in the national team,” Akhulia said.
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“By the time we get to the AFCON in 2027, Kenya will have a very strong squad. With the work we are putting in to build the league, I believe that about 80 percent of the national team players will be locally based,” he said.
The introduction of these monthly awards marks yet another milestone in SportPesa’s commitment to uplifting Kenyan football and providing a platform for players and coaches to excel while giving fans more to look forward to every month.