Whenever the conversation turns to Gor Mahia or AFC Leopards owning stadiums, emotion quickly overtakes logic. Supporters start dreaming of packed terraces, club-branded seats and total control. It sounds powerful. It feels right.
It is also largely unrealistic.
The uncomfortable truth is that Kenyan football is not built to sustain club-owned stadiums. Attendance is inconsistent, matchday income is limited, and revenue-sharing models mean clubs take home less than fans imagine. Add maintenance costs, staffing, security and pitch upkeep, and a stadium quickly becomes a financial hole.
So why do fans keep pushing this idea?
Because stadium ownership looks like success, even when it isn’t.
Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards already play in some of the best stadiums Kenya has ever had. Kasarani, Nyayo, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Stadium and Bukhungu are not the reason trophies have been scarce or performances inconsistent. The real problems lie far from matchday drama.
Let’s be honest: these clubs spend more money training than playing.
Yet both sides still hire training grounds, juggle schedules, and prepare players in environments that do not match their stature. Youth teams train on rough surfaces. Recovery facilities are limited. Club offices are temporary. That is not the profile of continental giants.
A stadium does not fix that.
What would actually change Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards is owning serious training complexes—permanent pitches, gyms, medical units, academies and clubhouses. Infrastructure that works every day, lowers costs, and builds football from the ground up.
Across Africa, dominant clubs understood this years ago. TP Mazembe did not conquer the continent by chasing a 60,000-seater. Azam FC did not rise by prioritising terraces over training. They invested where it mattered and let public or modest facilities handle matchdays.
Kenyan fans must confront a hard question: do they want symbols, or do they want success?
In a country where the government has already built stadiums, insisting that clubs duplicate that investment is wasteful. It satisfies pride but weakens sustainability. It creates monuments instead of machines.
If Gor Mahia or AFC Leopards ever build stadiums, let them be small, strategic and attached to training grounds. Until then, the obsession with owning stadiums is not ambition, it is distraction.
Big clubs are not built on concrete dreams. They are built on training pitches, discipline and hard choices.
Disclaimer: This opinion reflects the author’s personal views and not those of any club, federation, or employer.
