Growing up in Mathare, playing football seemed like the most natural thing for Harambee Starlets’ Sheril Angachi to pursue and she was lucky to have parents who understood her passion and supported it. Before she could hit her teenage years, she was already a star in the making, traversing the dusty Mathare fields as she featured for Otto Benecker FC, a girls’ football club founded in 1997with the aim of promoting girls’ football in the community. It did not take long before her coach realised the potential she had and pointed Gaspo Women in her direction, joining the Women Premier League (WPL) side while still in primary school.”I joined football out of influence. As you know, Mathare is known for its football talent so it came naturally for me. No one in my family is in the sport, not my parents or my siblings. Turns out football was in my blood, even so, as after showing interest and joining the team my father revealed that my grandfather was a footballer too,” Angachi offered. Through the hits and misses, the 21-year old has stuck with Gaspo Women who, twice, have come close, and twice have faltered in clinching the league, finishing in second place in the 2019 and 2021 seasons. “In the two seasons, we have always started the league, like many other teams, with the intention of win. After finishing second in the 2019 season, we regrouped and were ready to go all the way but the 2020 season was cancelled. Then came the Covid-19 challenges, we had a bad start in the 2021 season, losing the first two matches but that changed our mentality. We managed to recover and qualify for the playoff, going all the way to the final,” Today @gaspow_fc defensive midfielder Sheril Angachi was feted as the Players’ best in the month of February. She walked away with a personalized trophy and a gift voucher.Details in the link below:https://t.co/uak6InjMje#POTM pic.twitter.com/wXyVz7pUDr— KEFWA (@kefwaofficial) March 22, 2021 “Losing to Thika Queens in the final was a tough pill to swallow but it has ignited a fire in us to work even harder in the next season to lift that title,” said Angachi. Despite her age, she made a name for herself as a prolific midfielder and getting playtime has come easy. “I have had offers but this is my parent club and they have ensured I got to play in their senior team from a very young age. I always felt comfortable working on my game and my skills with a team that has believed in me from the very beginning. I could have moved to a different team but would they accord me the same support and opportunity to learn and get better?” she posed.Asked whether time has come for her to ply her trade elsewhere, Angachi maintains that her work at Gaspo is not yet done. “We still have the FKF Women’s Cup to play so I cannot talk about a move at this time. When the season is done then that conversation can surface,” she wittily answers.At the age of 17, Angachi, who had played in the Under-20 women’s team in the Women World Cup qualifier, made her debut in the national senior team, Harambee Starlets where she has become a mainstay. “It has been quite the journey,” she offers.Sheril Angachi (L) of Harambee Starlets U-20 contest for ball with Mirkat Tekele of Ethiopia during their U20 Women World Cup qualifier return leg match at Kenyatta stadium in Machakos on September 30, 2017In March, last year, just before Covid-19 hit the country, Harambee Starlets won bronze in an invite-only Turkish Women’s Cup tournament, finishing behind Chile and Ghana. Angachi was named the best midfielder in a tournament that brought together teams from Northern Ireland, Romania Hungary, Venezuela and Hong Kong as well as the podium finishers.Harambee Starlets won bronze in the just concluded Turkish Women’s Cup tournament , they finished behind Chile and Ghana who finished 1st and 2nd respectively. Sheril Angachi was named best midfielder in the tournament. Congratulations! #TheScoreKE pic.twitter.com/m9QyNCkBN6— Carol Radull (@CarolRadull) March 11, 2020 “This award has motivated me more to believe that my dream of playing professional football is valid. At the age of 21, I still have time to make it a reality. I am looking at playing home for the next two seasons before I can make my pro move. That does not mean if a favourable offer is presented now I would pass it up just because of my projection,” said the last born in a family of four. As the national team prepares for the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifiers postponed from June to October, Angachi says the preparations, despite having broken camp, are going on well. On top of the team programme, she is working on her own to ensure a better contribution to the team’s success at making a return to the continental showpiece as well as making a debut in the Women’s World Cup.
