No Dry Ground, No Training: How Climate Change Is Changing Life for Mathare Footballers

Play. Dream. Repeat. For decades of young footballers growing up in Nairobi’s Mathare area, these three words have served as a mantra. Pick up a ball. Find a pitch. Play. But for many young players in Mathare, access to a playable pitch is becoming increasingly difficult.

Earlier this year, data provided to The Footy Guru flagged the severe impacts climate change is already having on grassroots football communities across Mathare. Erratic weather, flooding, and poor playing conditions are all threatening young footballers’ ability to train, play matches, and reach their full potential. Whereas serious weather events may have only interrupted seasons sporadically in years past, today they’re presenting problems that communities face with growing regularity.

If you’re playing football and chasing your next chance, climate change is becoming an opponent you can’t kick past.

Playing While the Rain Falls

Consistency matters in grassroots football. Players improve by attending training, playing in weekend matches, and spending hours upon hours perfecting their craft on their local pitches. But when fields in Mathare become waterlogged from heavy rains, all of that consistency comes into question, and it throws the schedule and prediction markets into chaos at the best betting sites ranked on Bettingtop10.ke.

After heavy rains, floodwaters can linger on playing fields for days—if the water ever recedes at all. Matches get postponed. Training sessions are canceled. Pitches become rutted and uneven, making practices unsafe for players. The result? Young players—who need every training session they can get—are losing days on the pitch. Climate scientists and advocated have warned for several years that extreme rainfall will ramp up as Earth heats up. Urban areas are often the most vulnerable.

Flooding in Mathare

Mathare is prone to flooding. Before the pandemic, entire neighborhoods in Mathare regularly faced the realities of intense rainfall, and flooding. One study highlighting the impact of flooding in Mathare noted:

“Flooding remains one of the perennial problems that face communities living in the Mathare Valley settlement…”

But for footballers who live in Mathare, flooding isn’t confined to the streets surrounding the pitches they play on.

“A few years ago, I remember there was a lot of rain around the time of the Kenya Cup season.” Mathare United player Absalah Wasige mentioned.

“Games were being played and paused because the grounds were so hard. We ended up losing so many games through this.”

Often, it comes from flooding on football pitches. Playing fields without proper drainage become bogged down by excess rainwater. Days of rain can leave goalposts surrounded by puddles. Training cones roll into drains. Players may be

Muddy Shoes and Missed Opportunities

Of course, it’s never just about muddy shoes and muddy pitches. Football creates opportunities for young people all over Kenya to pursue their dreams. Whether players are seeking scholarships, hoping to catch a scout’s eye, or working toward getting into an academy or a professional team, every day on the pitch is an opportunity to achieve their goals.

When players lose training sessions to canceled practices, they lose time to develop their skills. At their worst, heavy rains can impact entire youth leagues by preventing access to playable fields.

“It’s a new opponent,” Absalah said.

Grassroots football has always been about facing tough opponents. Whether that’s the team you’re playing against, preventing injury, or grappling with unpredictable expenses, football at the grassroots level is a test of players and coaches alike. However, climate change is proving to be a new opponent that the world has to contend with besides controversial referees.

Climate Change vs. Football: The Battle for Mathare

Mathare isn’t alone in feeling the effects of climate change. Football teams around the world are experiencing firsthand how shifting rain patterns, weather events, and changing temperatures impact players and their ability to play the game they love.

A recent report exploring football and climate change indicated that weather and climate impacts are increasingly affecting “how, where, when and if people play, learn and watch football.” Football communities around the world are grappling with these changes on a daily basis—whether they realize it or not. And in Mathare, Kenya, those trends are hitting home.

Players are learning to play in conditions their parents never did. Coaches are factoring the weather into practice and game plans. Teams are encountering hurdles when scheduling tournaments and matches.