This archive report was first published on 30 October 2019.
FC Kenya: A Football Team Uniting Kenyans in Qatar ¶
On December 22, 2010, the FIFA Executive Committee awarded Qatar hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup, sparking a super idea from a Kenyan who had traveled to the Gulf nation in search of employment.
John Ngurugwe, a Kenyan who had been in Qatar for three years prior to the decision, founded FC Kenya, which boasts a huge fan base and founder member status of Qatar's leading amateur football league.
The team's humble origins can be traced back to a Friday kick-about at the park, where many Kenyans in the city gathered to catch up with friends and enjoy their day off.
Close to a decade later, the team has grown by leaps and bounds, with over 30 players training every week, thanks to Ngurugwe's dedication.
Ngurugwe's dream is to one day see FC Kenya compete in the professional ranks of Qatari football, and he believes that with hard work and determination, the team can achieve this goal.
"What I want is for this football team to carry on and grow into something even bigger, you never know, one day it might be part of the Qatar Stars League," Ngurugwe said.
Thanks to his involvement with FC Kenya, Ngurugwe is now a well-known member of the Kenyan community in Qatar, and he is using his status to bring people together through football.
FC Kenya now has 60 players on its database, with a core squad of 30 training every week at the London Global University (UCL) Park Qatar, facilities which Ngurugwe organizes through his employers.
"When you train here, it doesn't matter where you work, it doesn't matter where you worship, we come as a team, we come as one family," Ngurugwe said.
FC Kenya's breakthrough came in 2014 when they took part in the Qatar Foundation Semi-Pro Football Cup and made it all the way to the quarter-finals.
The team has since competed in various tournaments, including the Ramadan tournaments, the African Nations Cup in Qatar, the Embassy Cup, and the Qatar Community Football League (QCFL), which was founded in 2017 and is sponsored by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC).
"It's a really tough league but we have been able to survive for the past three seasons," Ngurugwe said.
FC Kenya has raised its captain's profile to such an extent that he was asked to be the focal point for the local Kenyan community in dealings with the SC.
Ngurugwe signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the SC four years ago, which sees the Kenyan community support events related to Qatar in 2022 in return for exclusive access to a range of engagement activities.
Despite the challenges he faces, Ngurugwe is determined to enjoy the World Cup when it comes to Qatar in two years' time, and he wants FC Kenya to continue to grow even after he eventually leaves the Gulf.
