Mayayo underlines teachers' role in developmental coaching in Kenya

Speaking exclusively to Citizen Digital, Mayoyo said many schools still lack professionally trained coaches, a gap he believes has slowed the growth of football and denied many gifted youngsters the opportunity to develop their potential.

"We have limited teachers who are trained coaches and that's a big dent in the growth of our football. Schools avoid outsiders as coaches because they fear behavior change among the students."

The experienced tactician noted that efforts are underway to increase the number of qualified teacher-coaches.

"We have been trying to push for more teachers to get trained and I'm happy we have a few who are trained," Coach Mayoyo added.

Mayoyo, who is currently in charge of Juve FC at the ongoing SISI NI DOLA Cup in Mombasa, also challenged the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to expand its network of talent scouts to ensure more promising players are discovered across the country.

"FKF have like 60 scouts now and they have opened a portal where we are putting our best students, but still we can do more and push for more grassroot talents in top flight stage."

His call comes as Juve FC continues an impressive run in the tournament, having already secured a place in the knockout stage after registering one victory and one draw .

The veteran coach further encouraged schools to invest more in sports programmes and begin nurturing children from a young age, saying this is the best way to produce elite athletes capable of representing Kenya on the international stage.

"Teachers who are assigned roles as coaches must go the extra mile in developing young talents from the young lads using modern methods."

Mayoyo revealed that one of his main objectives at the SISI NI DOLA Cup is to identify outstanding young footballers and help connect them with clubs where they can further their careers.

The second edition of the SISI NI DOLA Cup is running for five weeks, with organizers urging football scouts from across the country to attend and recruit emerging talent.

Dola Group Sports Director Hassan Kipapa believes the tournament is becoming increasingly competitive and has challenged top-flight clubs to capitalize on the quality of players on display.

"If you see all the groups after the second round of matches, it is still open, meaning we will have a showdown in the Round of 16. I call upon our KPL teams, Bandari FC and Mombasa United, to scout the talents we are seeing since day one and give our local youths a chance on the big football stage."