Nairobi is about to pay to watch old footballers play. A match billed as the Legends Cup, Arsenal Legends v Harambee Stars Legends, is set for Nyayo National Stadium on Friday 13 November at 7pm. The Sh500 early-bird tickets have sold out, and the rest are listed from Sh1,000 to Sh20,000 (VVIP), sold online and delivered by SMS and email with no account needed. People pay for nostalgia. (Alumnipad has no connection with the match, its organisers, Arsenal FC or the Football Kenya Federation.)
Every school has its own legends: the captain who scored in the 1998 final, the goalkeeper the whole school still talks about. An old students’ match against the school team, or between class years, is one of the easiest fundraisers an association can run, and it brings people back who never come to the AGM. Here is how to borrow the idea at school scale.
1. Pick one named project and a target
A named project with a price, such as “a new roof for the chemistry lab, Sh600,000”, gives people a clearer reason to give than “support the school”. Agree the project with the principal and the board first, so the money has a clear home.
2. Agree the day with the school
Settle the date, the pitch, the referee, first aid and how many visitors the school can host, and check that the school’s or association’s insurance covers players and spectators. If you will ask for money at the match or in public, the Public Collections Act requires written notice to the area chief (the “regulating officer”) at least three days before you start. Before you fix a date or sell tickets, check the Ministry of Health’s current guidance on public gatherings: Kenya has had nine confirmed Ebola cases and two deaths since October. By 3 November five patients had recovered and gone home, no new case had been recorded since 19 October, and the Ministry of Health said there were no restrictions on public gatherings. Advice can change.
3. Price tickets in tiers, and start with an early bird
- Early bird: the cheapest ticket, for the first two weeks only. It gets the first sales in and shows momentum.
- Regular: the standard price once early-bird sales close.
- VIP: a seat with the legends, lunch, or a signed team photo.
- Sponsor a student: pays for a current student’s lunch, kit or bursary. Let current students watch free.
4. Sell by M-Pesa and send tickets by SMS
Take payment to the association’s paybill or bank account, never a personal number, and send each buyer a ticket number by SMS straight away. No app and no account: the fewer steps, the more people buy.
5. Make it a reunion, not just a match
Field teams by class year (“Class of ’96 XI”), recognise past captains at half time, put up a photo wall of old team pictures, and invite the families. The match is the reason to come; the reunion is the reason to stay.
6. Report back within a week
Post the total raised, the costs, and a photo of what the money bought. Reporting back builds the trust you need for the next appeal.
Alumnipad gives your association an event page with RSVPs, a fundraising page for the project and class lists to pick your teams from, with reminders by email, and by SMS or WhatsApp on the Professional plan and above. The Free plan covers up to 50 members and two events a month. To collect money, talk to us about connecting your association’s paybill or till.
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Sources: the official ticket listing and K24, 30 October 2026 on the match and its tickets; Pulse, 3 November 2026 and Xinhua, 4 November 2026 on Kenya’s Ebola response; the Public Collections Act.