A few months ago,I had the chance to read through the mind of Ayiro Chahilu Edwin, Soy United’s founder and patron, and all he expressed was optimism for a better future.At the time of the meeting, Soy were planning for a new lease of life in the fourth tier following a drastic fall from FKF Division One.Fast forward to Sunday and I caught up with him again at Dandora Stadium during the promotion/relegation play-off pitting Sofapaka against Naivas FC, and again he expressed great hope for the future.For a man who has single handedly run a club for eight years, Ayiro, an advocate by profession, cuts the image of a simple humble being, in fact one will bypass him, not knowing his side just qualified for the FKF Division One.Soy overpowered Hillside in an enticing Western Division Two promotion mini league at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret to grab a pass to the third tier.Soy United patron reveals club’s revamp plansI quickly get him to share the plan ahead of next season.I n his usual laid-back demeanour, he goes:A: “For now, it’s all about preparing for a new challenge. We gave the boys a break, and once they return, we will endeavour to have good preparations.It is a unique challenge for us and again the key word is preparations.”Q: Soy United seems to be on the right trajectory from club organisation, players welfare, CSR activities and performances. What is the secret?A: “I would say belief is key in any person’s quest for success. We are concerned with how quickly we rally around a common purpose and believe that it can be achieved through blood and sweat. There is no magic, we all as a unit work hard in belief. “Q: Your team has quite impressive youngsters. Unlike in Division Two, Division One requires some experience, is Soy United going for more experience over this transfer window?A: “The boys were fantastic last season, and they were worthy champions of our zone, their age notwithstanding. We will not phase them out, we were family all through the season and God willing the same family will roll up their sleeves in the Division One. Youthfulness is a good quality to have, and it is part of our long-term strategy to always maintain a winning team and so we will only add quality youngsters to the current squad to increase competition not add experience. They will gain more experience if they play at that stage at that youthful age than learn on the bench watching the ‘experienced players’ play.FKF Division Two: Soy United to face Hillside in Western mini league deciderQ: Ayiro, the logistics of that division are even more demanding. How are you prepared?A: “Soy United is keen on partnerships and not sponsorship. A partner has a specific task that helps the team get better in a number of ways as opposed to sponsorship, which focuses on monetary support over a period. We are looking at bringing on board different partners to improve our way of running our club, to improve our structures and make it more appealing and competitive. Running a club is multifaceted, and therefore, our thinking is that we reach out to different partners to cover our various areas of interest. For example, getting an insurance company to partner with us in offering players covers and a marketing entity to improve our brand popularisation. These are more invaluable than getting a sponsorship worth one million shillings, for example. Yes, we will make it work and urge right thinking partners to come on board and be part of an exciting three year journey and dream towards KPL qualification.Q: During the playoffs in Eldoret, you painted Kipchoge white and blue. How have you attracted such a fan base?A: “To be honest, our club is nothing without our fanatic followers, they believe in our strategy and are keen to support in terms of match attendance and purchase of merchandise. But the key has been our rallying call,#Soyniyetu#,which has galvanised the community locally and is now spreading countrywide. We are now launching a mass fan registration drive to spur up the numbers and have them engage in a structured manner in matters pertaining to the club, a big plus.”Soy United fans following mini league final against Hillside FCQ: How have your past experiences shaped the way you lead the team currently?A: “Every situation has its roots in the past, the past survives into present, the present into the future, and the future is the past undergoing modifications. We are guided by our past mistakes and such have been keen not to repeat them but improve on our past successes. For instance, we took a whole season’s break and put some savings aside to put an iron sheet perimeter around our pitch, thus introducing a match day fee of Ksh.50/=, in partnership and on a deposit and instalments basis acquired two vans to cater for transport to matches and hire by community. We also set up a sports hub dealing with our merchandise and other sporting equipment, all aimed at improving our own source revenue. This was a game changer, and we thank God for His immense favour and grace. And so, the challenge is to attract more partnerships to now focus on player welfare and improvement in terms of physical facilities key being our desire to have our own training and playing facility and modern hostels, but we are also aware that Rome was not built in one day”.Q: Finally, Ayiro, what are your realistic targets for next season?A: “As a club, we have a history to emulate and perhaps do even better than before. As a family, we are keen on sacrificing even more than we have ever done before, prepare adequately for each game and endeavour to go forward. That is the true desire of any individual associated with our club as we ourselves set the bar up high and we must dream and envision ourselves at that top level.For the forthcoming season, we promise to put in more hours and take it a game at a time, and hopefully, our efforts will make the difference come at the end of the campaign. I have no doubt it will be an exciting challenge full of blood- sweat, and purposeful initiative from everyone at the club myself included.”Q: So, can we bet on you to qualify for the NSL?A: “What gets measured gets done. Let’s catch up after the season, for only then will our work be graded. For now, it is time to think about preparations. We at Soy United believe that God rewards the work of a man’s hand. At the end of last season we all agreed as a team to look forward to a new challenge with added desire, sacrifice and more prepare hours, that is our priority for now.##NAJAVA_MECA_8216359##
