Football Made Me Series

 10 Football 'Rituals' During Our Time Playing Football in the Late 90's.

Some of these so-called 'rituals' still exist in the football ecosystem, from grassroots to top-tier leagues. 

Here we go...

1. Anyone who wore a certain number of jerseys was for a star or must be good, for example, jersey no. 10. no.9...

2. The captain was always a top performer or expected to be at a higher level of performance. 

3. Anyone who had dreadlock was just good by default. They were always in the spotlight and darling for fans.

4. Aside from dreadlocks, any other unique hairstyles could earn a player some spotlight in the field. For example, dyed hair.

5. Wrapping a bandage on your left hand not because of injury was also perceived as a mark of a top performer.

6. All left-footed players were very talented, and a rare gem to find.

7. Having the name of a foreign superstar as your nickname was also a mark of excellence. 

8. Having quality shoes, and when it wasn't black in colour, it could also put a player in the spotlight and also could mean they are a top performer or star.

9. The jersey colour meant a lot, especially in inspiring confidence and excellence. If we had the choice, we could always go for our winning colours. 

10. Going abroad to play in international tournaments meant that by default the future was bright for us as footballers.

Do these still exist? Or there are even more to add? Which number can you relate to?

📌 Please share in the comments section.

Book a master session with me on how to run effectively a grassroots football club with limited resources. 

📌 Play Safe With Dignity Football Shoes Campaign 

Join me in the ongoing football shoes campaign that seeks to equip young emerging footballers with quality shoes and relate material to play safe with dignity. I first wore my first football shoe in 1996 that was donated to me after scoring the only goal during a community football tournament. 

Since then, I have been on the frontline, buying and also mobilising support from friends and wider networks to support my vision of donating a ball and a football shoe to U12-U15 teams, both boys and girls in Mathare North. Since the inception of the campaign in 1997, I have been able to reach more than 700+ kids and still counting.

I take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported all my calls and continues to support the initiative toward achieving even better impact. I look forward to this year's edition, whereby we also conduct a skill-up session and a football tournament. 

📌 Read More How It All Started 

https://wilsenx.blogspot.com/2022/12/play-safe-with-dignity-how-it-all.html?m=1

Credit  #FootballMadeMeSeries © Wilson Masaka +throughMylens.