Coach Mildred Cheche and Kenya’s Junior Starlets made history earlier in June this year, becoming the first ever Kenyan team at any age level or gender to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. The Starlets progressed to the global showpiece, set to be staged in the Dominican Republic, after edging out Burundi 5-0 on aggregate in the final qualifying round.
Bet on football with 1xBetThey had been given a bye from the opening round after DR Congo pulled out, and then went on to beat Ethiopia 3-0 in the second round.
The Kenyan junior girls realized a lifelong dream to play at the global stage. They have been drawn in Group C against two-time champions Korea DPR, 2018 losing finalists Mexico and England who are playing in the competition for the third time.
Despite making their debut, coach Cheche has warned that no one should underrate them as they are an equally highly competitive team and are keen to make an impact.
The tactician spoke exclusively to Telecomasia.net on the team’s ambitions, targets and hopes, heading to the Dominican Republic.
– Has the feeling of playing at the World Cup finally sunk in?
– Of course, at first, when we qualified after beating Burundi, it was surreal. We were all euphoric and everyone was at a loss of words. We had achieved something great. But now, yes, the feeling has finally sunk in and everyone now has locked their minds on the World Cup.
Before we started camp, the girls were really anxious, asking when will we start training, are we really going… but since we called them back in and they saw how serious we are in terms of preparation and setting our targets, they have now also allowed that feeling to sink in and they are now ready to perform at the World Cup.
– You became the first coach to ever take a team to the World Cup in Kenya. Just how big is this for you?
– It was, and still is, big for me. As a coach, picking this achievement is definitely a massive thing for me as a person. But not just for me, this was big for my technical bench and the girls as well as the country and we don’t take it lightly. It was a massive achievement and we could see just how much it meant for the country with the celebrations in the stadium.
I always remind the girls that this is a big blessing for all of us. Being the first in anything in the world is always a massive achievement and now we have to carry the belief that we are up to the task of going to the Dominican Republic.
– How much does this qualification mean to young girls and women’s football in Kenya and the East Africa region?
– This is really massive for women’s football in Kenya. It means that the belief and ability is there. It gives a lot of hope and morale to the young upcoming generation that there is success in football. It gives encouragement to them that they can take up football as a career and it has equal success.
In my view, this will see more girls take up the sport and more parents support their children if they decide to play football. Since we qualified, I have received numerous calls from across the country to come see what different teams are doing. A lot of interest has been sparked and I know moving forward we will see more young girls get into football.
– And for the girls in the team now, what does this mean to them, playing at the World Cup? What do you tell them when you are preparing?
– This means the world to them more so, because at the age of 17 is where most players are scouted by professional teams, colleges and Universities. I believe playing at the World Cup will expose them more and this will be an opportunity to market themselves and their talent and show what they can do. It is a platform for them to get to the next step of their careers.
Every day, when they get to the pitch, I tell them to do their best. Win, draw or lose, as long as they have given their best, I will always be satisfied. I have reminded them to grab this chance with both their hands and I believe they are ready.
– The focus now is on the World Cup, and you have been drawn in a really tough group. Do you think you can manage to make it into the knockout rounds?
– It definitely is a tough group because if you look at the teams we are playing against, they have been at these tournaments before. Korea DPR have won it twice, Mexico have reached the final before and England are in it for the third time. It will not be easy but I believe we are up to the task. We are doing our best to study and analyze all these three teams and see how best to tackle them but each game for us is like a final. But, I believe the first match against England will be key. It will give us a picture of where we are and we will be able to see our strengths and how far we can go.
– Being first timers, you are definitely the underdogs. Do you think it works in your advantage that you are the little known team?
– I think yes, it is a big advantage for us because no one knows about us, they don’t know how we play as well as our strengths and weaknesses. I think it is a good thing going there as unknowns and I am sure we will shock many of them.
– You are now in Spain for a two-week training camp to prepare. How crucial is this for you in terms of preparing well?
– This is really crucial for us, physically and psychologically. It will help us to not only build the girls’ fitness, but playing against tougher teams which are a bit above us will help build our tactical and technical capacity. We will play friendly matches against teams that are above us and way more exposed. It will be a good challenge to the girls to push their limits a bit harder because this is what we expect at the World Cup. It is a different level from what we have played back at home and will definitely be tougher. Being in Spain will help us bridge that gap and get us ready.
– Since Kenya qualified for the Women’s AFCON in 2016, there has been great growth. Is Kenya playing at the U17 World Cup going to take this to another gear?
– I have seen a lot of growth from 2016 till now. The gap that was there during my playing days around 2011 and 2012 till now has greatly reduced. Now we see more women going to play abroad, we have more involvement with the national team and there are now more opportunities for growth.
Definitely with our young girls playing at the World Cup gives even more opportunity for growth. There will be more interest in women’s football in Kenya and Africa as a whole.
– Finally, a word to your fans, Africa and the World as you head to the World Cup?
– First, I’d like to thank the Kenyan fans for their support because it is by the noise they made at the stadium that we were able to qualify. I want to ask those who can get to the Dominican Republic to come out and support us and those who live in or around there to also come out and support us.
To Africa and the World, we want to showcase Kenyan talent out there and we have some of the best. We will do the very best we can to represent our country and continent well in the Dominican Republic.