The football teams we support in Kenya, the Bore Lions and Bore Lionesses, took part in the region’s annual Neem Cup competition last week – and came close to the double!
The competition not only promotes football but also tree planting, which takes place throughout the tournament alongside the action on the pitch.
In the men’s tournament, Bore Lions drew 0-0 with Zamalek, which meant they finished runners-up behind Boda Boda United.
The men’s games were followed by a tree-planting break, with the youth being educated on the importance of planting new trees in the area. More than 1,500 seedlings were planted during the tournament in and around the Arsenal Forest area.
The women’s game took place next in the evening and our Bore Lionesses lifted the trophy after a 2-0 win over Singwaya Ladies thanks to an own goal and a sweet free kick by Pendo Jefwa.
The Neem Cup gets bigger every year and this is partly due to the close links the competition has with Arsenal Football Club. Every year there is more community engagement and more associated neem planting. It’s an object lesson in how to leverage “prestige by association” to facilitate sustainability impact.
In fact, the organizers plan to expand the cup and include an under-19 tournament at the next event – we’d better throw some more kit around!
Shirt on tour
We’d like to think we helped inspire the teams because the Arsenal Forest community at Bore is still buzzing – as are our 20 hives on site – after site supervisor Alex returned home from his trip to England with lots of goodies and stories Arsenal’s trip to the Emirates Stadium and Highbury.
In fact, the first team’s signature jersey took us on a VIP tour back at the Bore, as various members of the Arsenal Forest squad posed for photos and admired the prized signatures of players who are now very much heroes on the pitch. of Kenya.
Alex’s brand new coat was also popular for a photo opportunity – and will definitely come in handy on those chilly equatorial nights.
The sense of pride from everyone associated with Arsenal Forest was palpable as they listened to Alex talk about how much everyone at the Bore appreciates everyone back here in north London, where they are very much part of the Arsenal family.
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