Sylvia Wasilwa had made a silent vow to herself that she would take up football all through, even after school. She was not yet ten. Already born in a family bustling with athletic excellence, the odds sided with her dreams. All she had to do is stay consistent and learn from the talent already abound in the family. But then tragedy struck, and giving up on her chase for football excellence appeared the more viable option for the then 14 year old. George Wasilwa Maina, a Kenya Army officer based at Kahawa Barracks, and a prominent anchorman for the military side’s football team, passed on when her daughter had just joined form one. He had been her sole role mode in the sport. Sylvia says this is an occurrence that could have turned her away from the sport had she not been resilient herself. ‘’My father would tag me along to his matches and even the training sessions. You see, I was introduced to the sport at a tender age. I learnt a lot from my old man. His passing on when I was myself just starting to mature in the game robbed me of something,’’ she says. The young Wasilwa would however, not relent on hear pursuits and dully began her own footballing journey at Moi Girls Vokoli, weathering some tough atmosphere in Kenya women’s football to end up as the current captain of Equity Bank FC, a firm with whom she also works with for close to a decade now. How she has managed to balance is the story one would most likely want to hear. At Vokoli she seemingly went all out, she does not know how yet she did. Captaining football, hockey and handball all at once by the time she was in her third year of study at the Vihiga-based school revealed a burning desire to succeed on the field of play at all costs. She would carry this with her to Kenyatta University (K.U) where under the veteran coaches Tobias Ocholla and Vincent Ombija, captained and won three East Africa ball games titles. ‘’Leadership was already instilled in me by the time I left Vokoli girls,’’ says the lanky centre-back. ‘’Landing at K.U, a university with excellent sporting opportunities then steered my dreams further. The coaches I played under were experienced, used to always winning. That’s the mentality that matched mine. We won plenty of titles with the team.’’##NAJAVA_MECA_7958718##Her unique penchant for balancing between two (or more) things looks as though it was fashioned at Kenyatta University. She not only played in the varsity games for her school but also looked elsewhere for semi-professional experience. Joining Thika Queens was her proper baptism into the Kenya Women’s Premier League. Mbotela Kamaliza FC was next. A sojourn at Spedag happened before her nearly defining moment with MOYAS (later MOSCA) came. ‘’We came so close with MOYAS to lifting the coveted Kenya Women’s Premier league trophy. Only a spirited Matuu FC stood in our way that year. We had had a good season all the same,’’ she recalls of this time that even though a decade behind us, seems like yesterday to her. Wasilwa earned her first national team call up while at Makolanders FC, tutored by Coach Florence Adhiambo and also her final station before her work-occasioned hiatus. It’s the ultimate prize to don the national team colours and this was no different for her. ‘’I remember we had an AWCON Qualifiers double header against Uganda. Lost away but won at home. We however, couldn’t proceed on the away goal rule basis. Personally, I cherished the experience. It’s one of the highest donors for any footballer because every single one player out there is always working towards that,’’ she continues. It was inevitable that duty would, at its own time, call her as she had completed her studies at Kenyatta University. Kilifi was the destination and a premature end to a promising professional football career looked imminent. In 2016, Equity Bank drafted her to the Ruiru Branch then later posted Wasilwa to Kilifi where she would work and stay. They say the leopard never changes her spots, Wasilwa did not either. In Kilifi, she would find a way back into the field; the annual inter-banks tournaments that had Equity playing against other banks in the country. Her major challenge though, she had found a team that needed work. Given the weight of her professional football portfolio, the task of building a strong side for the bank fell onto her hands, after all, had she not played for the Kenyan flag before?‘’The team was relatively small and only played in the inter-banks games. In the beginning mostly only bankers played in the competitions but growth came and as the team’s vision grew, the door was open to other very good players,’’ she reveals of her first years as the captain of the non-league side.Their first season, played in 2018 saw the corporates play only 7-a-side matches. The competition itself was in its infancy. Equity FC dispatched Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to win the inaugural competition. They would win it three more times in a row. Wasilwa says the tournament has grown. ‘’The inter-banks competition itself has grown, we now play full-pitch, 11-a-side. Equity still remains undefeated in the competition and this year we still intend to bring the title home,’’ a confident Wasilwa says. ##EDITORS_CHOICE##With such accolades more expectations usually fall upon the team. Why not bigger challenges for example? A question the captain says the bank is currently laying down pipe for. At the moment, Coach Paul Ongaya, Team manager Gregory Okoth and herself are working on roping in more seasoned players as well as deserving youthful talent to the team. Key to this quest she says have been Kenya Footballers Welfare Association (KEFWA) vice-president Terry Ouko and former Kenya International Neddy Akoth. The due, have referred quality additions to Equity. Wasilwa, further revealing that the bankers intend to play in the FKF Women’s Cup.‘’The team is currently preparing for the FKF Women’s Cup and we have been drawn against Bungoma Queens FC. With the continued support from the bank, we hope to go all the way. I believe great results from the cup competition will hopefully nudge our management towards supporting our ambitions to participate in the FKF leagues by the end of the year,’’ a hopeful Wasilwa adds. Equity FC boasts of a blend of seasoned and upcoming players. Some of the founding members of the side include Laureen Nasiche, Brenda Mutanganyika, Samba Mjomba, Betty Kanan and goalkeeper Judith Okuto. None-staff players range from the lethal forward striker Ivy Ivayo, Irene Auma to Gladys Wasia; all of them former Harambee Starlets players.Being a corporate side, a rarity in Kenyan football, this all wouldn’t have happened without the support from top management at Equity Bank. Wasilwa admits to this. ‘’Of course support has to come from the top. The club wouldn’t have happened at all without the overall support from the management. From our top CEO Dr James Mwangi. Without him Equity could not be a brand. He has helped nurture young talents in different sectors and in sports, each and every discipline,’’ says Wasilwa. ‘’I’d first single out the trio of Dr Mwangi, Managing Director Mr Gerald Warui, Coast Region Manager Mr Ndung’u who is a mentor to me both in sports and at work, as the key players in making everything work for the side,’’ she continues.Balancing work with football is not child’s play and Wasilwa is a testament to this. With a boss that pushes you to pursue your dreams, however, it can be the most fulfilling of a double life. Mr. Martin Murithi, who manages Wasilwa’s current station; Equity Tom Mboya, supports her in this regard. ‘’In order to balance work and football, he ensures that my place is covered so I can attend to matters of the field, this is of course with the help of the team members at Tom Mboya Branch,’’ says Wasilwa.For someone who almost gave up her football dreams early, Sylvia Wasilwa credits her mother for stepping in at the eleventh hour and filling in the gap. ‘’She would travel from Nairobi to western just to watch me play in high school,’’ she says. ‘’You wouldn’t believe it but even now at my age, she still comes for my inter-banks matches. She has been a real inspiration.’’The future looks promising and full of bountiful returns for the side currently heavily investing in a sport that has largely been neglected by the corporate world. Trying to find a solid footing in this year’s FKF Women’s Cup competition; win it, or at least enter the medal bracket, Equity Bank FC will no doubt ruffle feathers with the established women’s sides in the top flight and beyond. After all, they have players who’ve been there, and done it.
