Like an inseparable pride in the Serengeti, the New Era Cubs huddle up to bare their teeth for the cameras.
Click!
As the flash captures the moment, sparks of confidence glint in their eyes.
Mr. Innocent Phoya — their team coach — is ready for this season. Beneath an orange haze of the late-afternoon sun, he looks confident, jolting down the term’s fixtures in his notepad. Mr. Phoya has been working extremely hard and any school in the way of his Tigers will surely get mauled. New Era has always had talented footballers. Admittedly, we’ve never taken sports seriously enough but that’s about to change.
“This year things will be different, “Mr. Phoya declares, confidently. “We have beautiful kits for both teams (New Era Tigers and New Era Cubs), that always gives us the motivation to win. Looking smart on the pitch helps the kids behave and play professionally. I am very proud of my team. As far as I’m concerned, one of these guys could very well be the next Malawian football star.”
It’s the 16th of September 2019; the beginning of the new academic year. It’s also the start of the school football season. Mr. Phoya has the best 17 players at the Primary School—34 of the deftest legs in Ntcheu— at his disposal. Among them are defenders; tacklers; goal scorers; perhaps even custodians of that illusive “talent gene” befitting of a young Messi, Ronaldo, or our very own Gabadinho Mhango. In their yellow and cerulean blue football kit, the New Era Cubs are here, and they’re determined to win!
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