Sport / Kayla-Marie counting down to footballing adventure in Africa
The 20-year-old is set to coach football as a volunteer in Zambia
A FOOTBALLER is set to live out her African dream by teaching the sport to children in Zambia next year.
Kayla-Marie Pottinger, a major cog in the hugely successful Shetland women’s team, will spend two months in the country as a women’s football development officer.
The 20-year-old is now fundraising for her journey to the south of Africa, which she says is a dream come true.
“I’m so excited, I can’t believe it’s happening,” she told Shetland News this week.
“I was meant to go to Zambia when I was 18 to work in a school, but it was going to be too expensive.
“Me and my friends were going to go teach, but we weren’t going with an organisation and it was going to cost way too much to go there.
“I’ve always wanted to go somewhere like Zambia, so when this opportunity came up I was pretty keen.”
It was through Pottinger’s university in Stirling, where she is studying maths and finance, that the chance arose to join Volunteer Zambia.
She said she had “always wanted to travel somewhere a bit more foreign to me” – and Zambia definitely fitted the bill.
“It was emailed out to our football club asking if anyone wanted to go, so I just put in an application.
“It went out to different uni’s as well so I didn’t know how many spaces there was going to be.
“I wasn’t sure I would get a place so when I was told I was like, ‘oh my goodness, I’m going’.
“It’s the kind of thing I’ve always wanted to do.”
Pottinger is someone who devotes her life to football – not only captaining the Stirling University 3s team, but also playing for Alloa women.
And as well as starting every game for Shetland at the Island Games in Orkney this summer too, she was on hand at the weekend to help the team collect a national award in Glasgow.
She added that it would make it even more special in Zambia “to be doing it with women’s football”.
“That’s something I’m really passionate about,” she said.
“It’s quite clear that sport helps everyone, especially in places that might not be so developed.”
She is set to be based in a hub in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, for the duration of her eight-week stint in the country.
Pottinger will be staying in a shared room with other girls who are making the trip across from Scotland, and she joked that it “made my mam more happy” to hear there would be other people travelling out to coach too.
While she has been able to lean on some at university who have been before for advice on Zambia, Pottinger says she has been told the best way to experience it is to “learn about it when you get there”.
“It just looks amazing,” she said.
“We’re going to be coaching the kids and coaching the coaches, so that we leave a lasting impact and make sure it’s more sustainable.
“I think it’s more sort of friendly football being played, but I can imagine they’re going to be pretty good already. I think it will be fun but pretty competitive.”
As well as their day jobs coaching sport in Zambia, Pottinger and her group will have weekends free to do activities.
She said previous groups have been out on safari and held BBQs together.
As for swapping Scottish showers for African heat, Pottinger is hopeful that they are not in for too much of a shock.
“It will be winter there, so hopefully it shouldn’t be too bad – they’ve said it will be early 20s, so it will be doable but it will still be hot for us!”
And as for bringing a piece of home out to Africa, Pottinger is hopeful she will be able to sneak some Shetland women’s football kits out for people to proudly wear.
“I’ve actually not spoken about this yet with anyone,” she laughed.
“We got new kits a year or so ago, so the old ones must be kicking around somewhere. We’re hoping to take some kits and equipment out that can be used.”
You can donate to Pottinger’s fundraiser to support her costs for going to Zambia here.
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