Sofapaka: The Children of God

Sofapaka football club is one of the newest members of the Kenyan premier league having been formed just over a decade ago in 2004. It is a club that is based on core family values with its motto famously known as: "We as a family, together we achieve a goal." This motto is derived from its core values as a club founded on strong Christian values as envisioned by its founder and owner Elly Kalekwa. Even though its history states that it was found in 2004, it is the originality of MAOS ministries football team, which was formed in 2002 and famously featured in inter-church football competitions, before Apostle Elly took over two years later and turned it into what is currently known as Sofapaka football club.

Promotion to the Top Flight

As a professional football team in Kenya, Sofapaka began featuring in the nationwide league in 2005 and was a force to reckon with even in the lower tiers of Kenyan football. This historic feat was confirmed in the year 2007 when it surprised all the top teams in Kenya to win the President's cup while still playing in the lower tier of Kenyan football. As a club based in the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi, Sofapaka surprised many football fanatics in Kenya, as well as in East and Central Africa as a club that won top-flight promotion and won the Kenyan premier league in its maiden season. This amazing feat was achieved at the backdrop of an entertaining style of football, which definitely swept the entire part of the continent. Its popularity on its maiden year at the top flight was assisted by exquisite marketing strategies that the club employed, especially on social networking at a time when other clubs in Kenya had not fully embraced social network sites as a way of connecting to the fans and as a perfect way of marketing their franchises.

Wide Following

With the exception of Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, Sofapaka has the third-highest fan following in Kenyan football. This is partly due to its close connection to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been following this amazing club closely. Again, its status as one of the clubs that draw large crowds to its matches is due to the amazing style of play that is based on the tiki-taka philosophy of football that is mostly associated with FC Barcelona. On the same front, its undeterred brand marketing on many social network sites has elevated the club's status with the fans not only in Kenya but in the entire region of East and Central Africa.

As a club, Sofapaka is easily identified in its white and blue uniforms that have been a permanent fixture in the Kenyan premier league for the past six years. This is a club that has been known to seriously challenge the dominance of Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards in terms of fan following, which is a major shortcoming in Kenyan football. With its highly ambitious owner, it can be detrimental to bet against Sofapaka when it comes to being recognized as one of the biggest football clubs in Kenya, especially in the coming years.