Goalkeeper Lemayan netting talent for love of the beautiful game

Imagine coaching for free. Imagine also coaching as you also aspire to play at the very highest level.

Well, that is exactly what talented football goalkeeper Dalphine Lemayan has been doing for as she says “the love of the game”.

Football has for close to two decades been Lemayan’s companion and despite the token support women’s football receives as compared to men’s football in the county, she has soldiered on driven by her ambition and community service calling.

At 28, Lemayan has already played for several women’s clubs in local leagues and has even played outside the country.

“I started playing in early primary as a goalkeeper and have never looked back. I have played many times in Kenya and in Uganda,” said Lemayan.

“I actually started playing when I was in Standard Four. I featured for EAC Nakuru team, then played for Team Gikaria before I joined Flamingo Ladies. I represented my school thrice at the nationals’ level,” the goalkeeper said.

A bit challenging

While still in Standard Seven Lemayan was selected to join the team that represented Kenya in Uganda.

“In secondary school it was a bit challenging since proceeding to another level depended on the strength of the whole team, as opposed to a player’s hard work and talent,” she continued.

But since she completed high school back in 2006, Lemayan has kept playing the game the way a duck sticks to water.

The talented goalkeeper, who also works at the Nakuru County Government, says every day she attends strenuous training in order to keep her body in tip-top shape.

She is easily the best female goalkeeper in Nakuru currently and has over the last two years represented the county in the inter-county football tournaments, where teams competed for Sh1million prize money..

“When the tournament was started, I was selected to play in the county team. In the first tournament we finished at position four, but last year we were removed in the knock-outs,” said Lemayan.

Before joining the county team, she played for Oserian Ladies Football Club for three years and had earlier played for Kayole Sisters.

“I got a chance to join Kayole Sisters after representing Kenya in Uganda when we played Uganda Combined. I was selected among the team of Kenya’s best women players to face the Ugandans who beat us 3-2,” recalled Lemayan.

By her own admission, football is in her blood and not by mere luck or chance, but for the love of the beautiful game

She is waiting to get called to the county’s ladies football team, due to be selected next month ahead of the inter-counties that kick-off on April. Besides playing, Lemayan is also a coach to young and up coming amateur players in the county, in collaboration with her colleagues.

“Every day at 5pm we meet with the young boys and girls for training and coaching. We have grouped them under-17, under-15 and under-10,” said Lemayan.

It is her fifth year since she began coaching and three of her trainees have been selected for trials at Huruma, Nairobi.

Most of the trainees are primary and secondary school students and during weekends they stage matches to measure progress. It is inspiring to note that she coaches for free.

“No one pays me,” she says simply. After a pause she feels inclined to explain why. “It is all for the love of football,” she says matter of factly, her face straight but a with a glint in her eyes.

“Most youth and players have been drained by drug addiction and so it would be better keeping them busy in training after school so as to build their talents,” she added.

Her dream is to play for the Harambee Starlets and perhaps get a professional contract abroad as she continues to explore her talent.