On Sunday, January 8, 2023, fans of Premier League leaders Arsenal Football Club held their national day of prayer across Kenya.
The annual prayer day, which has become customary, is typically devoted to participating in charitable activities, giving thanks in churches, and praying for the success of the English football team.
However, the day varies based on the location. Various locations will have their prayer day in the following two weeks. This week, prayers were held in Nakuru, Kitale, Eldoret, Turkana and Webuye.
For instance, members of the Arsenal Kenya Supporters Club in Turkana attended Deliverance Church in Lodwar, where they donated 100 plastic chairs for Sunday school children.
The Arsenal Kenya Supporters Club, formerly known as the Kenya Arsenal Fan Club, was initially launched in October 2010. The group is recognised by the club and has a dedicated banner space at the Emirates Stadium in London.
The group’s first meeting was held at Club Red Carpet, and it has since grown to multiple branches and venues across Kenya, including Nairobi, Mombasa, and Eldoret.
The group conducts charity work, holds tournaments, and manages various development projects within the society. According to the official club website, the group had over 300 registered members in 2017.
On Monday, Arsenal will take on Oxford United in the FA Cup, and later on Sunday, they will play their North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal’s 2022-23 season
This season, Arsenal has impressed with their consistency and ability to overcome challenges, positioning themselves five points ahead of second-place Manchester City in the Premier League. If they can maintain their lead, they have a chance to win the Premier League for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Arsenal last competed in the top division of European football in the 2016-17 campaign. In the previous season, the team came close to taking fourth place, only to be overtaken by Tottenham Hotspur in the final games.
This season, however, Arsenal has shown strong mental fortitude. Even after suffering their first loss of the season against Manchester United at Old Trafford, before the World Cup break, they went on an eight-match winning streak.
Statistically, the odds are in their favor as well. After 12 games, nine out of the ten teams with the best starts in Premier League history have gone on to win the league.
Due to the 2022 Qatar World Cup break, fewer games have been played this season, but seven out of the last ten teams at the top of the table at Christmas have gone on to become Premier League champions.
Arsenal play Man United in two weeks time at the Emirates Stadium.
Part of the story adopted from NTV Kenya.
