•Before the outbreak of the Covid-19 in the country in late March, Harambee Starlets were preparing for Africa Women’s Cup of Nations against Tanzania and Drailer had earned a dream call up to the team
•“I first saw her while at Olympic three years ago and we asked her to join our trials. She didn’t make it but we asked her to continue working hard. Since then, we have been monitoring her and she has continued to improve,”— Ouma
Image: REUTERS
The 2020 Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom top scorer Salome Drailer hopes that her startling performance at the national stage and her recent call up to the national women team, Harambee Starlets, will inspire more girls in her home county of Busia and western region to embrace football and improve the sports profile of the region.
“The rate at which women’s football is spreading in the country, I hope to see more young girls following in my foot steps and getting to the top if not featuring for the national team,” she said at her home in Sio Port in Busia county.
Before the outbreak of the Covid-19 in the country in late March, Harambee Starlets were preparing for Africa Women’s Cup of Nations against Tanzania and Drailer had earned a dream call up to the team a day after she was declared the Most Valuable Player in the Chapa Dimba na Safaricom tournament.
During the tournament held in February, the former Bujwanga Primary School pupil scored four goals in the finals to lead her side, Beijing Raiders to victory over holders Acaroko.
This performance caught the eyes of Starlets’ head coach who immediately called her up to the national team.
“We grew up seeing our relatives and friends flocking the video halls to watch European top leagues and at times watching our national teams and playing at that level was always our dream. Now that I have gotten this opportunity, I want to grab it with both hands and show the country that we can all do well if we work hard and give it our best,” she said.
Now, Drailer is determined to make a name for herself. “I really can’t describe how I felt when I was called up to the national squad. Playing for Harambee Stars has always been my dream and I believe I am on the right course. We all know about the history, the heritage, and the culture that surrounds women in sports in the villages and I hope to use this opportunity to prove that even women can play football and the game can also change their status in the society,” she noted.
In 2014 while in class six, Drailer, a daughter of Busia well-known coach Kennedy Sati, took up football as a passion under the guidance of her father but never imagined that she will become a household name six years later.
When she was drafted into the school team squad for the Busia County Primary School games, Drailer never thought this could be the beginning of a new dawn. “I didn’t imagine this would get me to play beyond the dusty pitches in Sio Port and beyond the border of Busia county,” she noted.
But her fortunes surprisingly changed during those regional games in Amukura when Dagoretti Mixed High School head teacher, Maurice Okumu spotted her and quickly sought her services.
“I was in class eight and we were playing the regional games when a certain guy approached my coach and requested to talk to me. I heeded before asking him to speak to my parents. With my father deeply involved in football, they obliged,” she recalls.
Before her sterling performance at Amukura, Drailer had played in a number of tournaments including national primary school games in Machakos in 2017.
After completing her KCPE exams, she moved to Nairobi in anticipation of joining secondary school. While waiting to join Form One, she started playing with boys and girls in Kibera.
“When the schools were reopened, I joined Olympic High School where I got a two-year scholarship with my fees fully paid,” the 17-year-old striker stated. While at Olympic, she played a key role in leading her school to the national secondary school title in Mombasa.
“It was a good start for me. Being my first major event, I didn’t expect that I will perform as I did. At the beginning, I was nervous but with team work and support from my team-mates, we were able to do well,” Drailer recalled.
When the head teacher (Okumu) was transferred to Dagoretti Mixed School, he didn’t want to leave her behind and quickly enrolled her in that school.
“Last year, the head teacher got a transfer to Dagoretti Mixed and Immediately took me along and I am still here,” she said. At Dagoretti, Drailer’s star has continued to shine and she attributes this to the trust and confidence Okumu has in her.
“He (head teacher) has been my pillar. He gave me the platform of getting somewhere. He didn’t just get me to Nairobi and left me to figure out things on my own, he has continued to hold my hand and made sure I stay focused,” Drailer said of Okumu.
While still at Olympic, Drailer won selection into the national U-17 team but missed out because she didn’t have travelling documents.
Her impressive performance would again earn her a place into the national U-20 team but again she could not be part of the team as she had not secured the documents.
The two incidents have not derailed Drailer’s focus and she continues to work even harder. She is the pillar behind the school’s instant rise, having catapulted them into qualifying for the national school games for the first time ever.
As the Chapa Dimba tournament continued, Drailer was drafted by Beijing Raiders and her prolific show was seen mostly in the final.
“Having seen our opponents (Acakoro) play in the semis, we panicked and we really didn’t expect to score six goals. Personally, I didn’t think I could perform as I did—scoring four goals,” she recalls. Her self-belief is what made her score four goals in the finals and win the title in front of her family members.
She added: “After the semis, we suggested some changes to the coach and one of the changes was having me play as a striker. He agreed to my request and that is how things worked out for me and the team in general. But all said and done, I never expected to be the top scorer leave alone being adjudged the Most Valuable Player.”
As all this unfolded, Harambee Starlets coach David Ouma was on the sidelines keeping tabs with Drailer’s progress and yes, she won his confidence and was immediately drafted into the national squad.
“I first saw her while at Olympic three years ago and we asked her to join our trials. She didn’t make it but we asked her to continue working hard. Since then, we have been monitoring her and she has continued to improve,” Ouma said.
According to Ouma, her ability to play out of her position during the Chapa Dimba final proves that she is a talented player who can make it to the top if she gets more exposure.
“If she is guided well, she is capable of being world class player. As coaches, we will try to guide her so that she doesn’t lose the focus and continues to work towards her dream,” Ouma added.
With almost all sporting activities having been put on hold due to Covid-19 pandemic, Drailer has managed to set up a personal training program with an aim of improving on her game in her Bujwang’a Village.
“There are a number of things that I want to improve on. I am working on improving on my skill and technique. I have a lot of basics that I need to improve on before things get back to normal,” Drailer said. Her current training routine in her village is no different with the one she has set up for herself in Nairobi.
“In most cases be it at school or home, I train on my own. When we are having team’s training, I make sure I try to do something extra from what the coach has asked us to do. With everything having stalled due to the current pandemic, I have set up a training program for myself so that by the time we resume, I will be in the same shape I was or even better,” she said.
She has become a common figure on the Nangina-Sio Port Road every morning as she does her morning run on that road before proceeding to her former school for workouts and ball work.
Drailer, who was good in netball and volleyball before settling on football, has a dream to play for Manchester United Ladies team or any top European women club.
Drailer also hopes to set up a sports academy in her village in future in a bid to change the lives of young girls in her home county if she finally turns professional.
“I am looking at setting up a sports academy that will give all young girls in Busia a platform to get to the next level. A lot of talent has gone to waste because there is no one to take care of it. A number of parents don’t feel comfortable to allow their children get into football,” she said.
Her father who she refers as her biggest supporter believes that she can be a good footballer. “Now that her star is rising, it’s my hope that she will fulfil my dream of seeing her play in one of the top leagues around the world. I am optimistic that if it happens, she will be able to lift the living standards of her family and her community,” he dad Sati stated. Sati challenged football administrators in the country to give girls’ football similar attention as the boys.