Photos of The Year

You have seen the 2011 edition. Now sit up and look though the photos that made 2012 a crazy-beautiful year for Leopards.

As usual, there were many photos that we came across on the internet and in blogosphere but as usual many are taken but few are chosen as the Top 20 of the year. Some are even photos of fans taking photos...

There was an outright winner of the female Fan of the Year (just kidding)

There was Musa posing next to some bus in typical local-mode

The Sony fan who thought a Leopards match is a black-tie event

The City Stars celebrating their win

The Leopards celebrating their shooting down of army side Ulinzi

The bus finally being handed over to the club

There were the Ingwelets Breast Awareness cheerleaders

One moment saw Ssemi Aina pretend-driving the bus

There was a parody of the Logarusic celebration after a goal executed perfectly by Eyinda

Fans also placed speed bumps on the road as they cheered on the team as Lutta happily led the songs

And of course what would Photos of the Year be without brand placement, eh?

And what Victor Ochieng could do

The fans could do too

There were times to recharge

And times to goof around

The Leopards had elections in June and a new EC inaugurated capturing all but one of the members was this snapshot.

But the players also tried to get us other fans

20. But starting off the Top Twenty list is this photo of Bernadette wearing a jersey that listed the entire first team. We can bet that the printer of the names must have been shocked to hear the request that she made to have all those names.

19. The goalkeepers area is a sacred area where he is supposed to rule it like a colossus. There were some moments when Leopards fans felt that Patrick Matasi had been a bit shaky. But he played his heart out and made interesting watching. This photo showed his in his element in his area basically saying 'My area!'

18. In 2012, we saw the female fans come out in strong numbers as they sought to stamp their authority on the field to show they may one day overtake the men as the supporters of Leopards. Ingwe Ladies turned up in different outfits including this head turning outfit during the clash against Gor Mahia in the FKF Cup.

17. Jan Koops brought joy to the fans of Leopards but that wasnt enough to make him keep his job. This photo taken by Onyino showed the warm reception Kopps received from the fans though at the end, perhaps he may not have had such a great time at the club.

16. As a club, Leopards needs the next generation of fans and it was also encouraging to see the young ones turn up in large numbers to follow the club.

15. There are some fans with an amazing faith and belief. Even after the club said it was boycotting the Top 8 match, there were still Leopards fans in Kasarani. Here is to those of huge faith.

14. One of those crazy moments in the season was when the Secretary General extended his hand to shake Jan Koops hand and the latter demurred. If ever there weas evidence of the thawing relations between the coach and his employers, this was it.

13. Come rain come shine some fans braved the weather to cheer on their favourite team. Here, the heavens had opened and the brave souls who chose not to shelter were not quite looking like their feathers were wet.

12.  We saw Charles Okwemba celebrate his goal in a season that was topsy turvy. The beauty about this was that it was one of those unscripted and spontaneous celebrations and thus came off so naturally.

11.  It is not everyday that you get a photo in a live match that also shows you the confidence and poiise of a player. The Daily Nation managed to capture Salim Kinje before he left the Leopards and his absence was later to cost the club dearly.

10. Going to watch any match, more so one against Gor requires one to brave to walk into a pack of the Kogalost Ones.

9. It is at Leopards that legends are made. Players who come in and then set the league alight or give the fans something to think about. If it was possible, one would say all the players at Leopards would be featurted in the Keep Walking advert of Johnnie Walker. Those who did strike a pose along those lines were our top strikers!

8. One sad moment happened during the derby in March when Gor fans decided to throw stones at the Leopards fans. Amidst the hurt and blood, this fan still managed a smile.

7. This is an intriguing photo. Clearly people are celebrating but don't ask me how they are doing it!

6. There was a photo Carol Radul posted during the derby in March that showed the great divide between the Leopards fans on the left and the Gor fans on the right. You can almost see the imaginary line where the green ends and the blue begins. 

5.  Once a goal is scored, the Leopard always has many ways to celebrate. For the recently elected organizing Secretary of the Leopards Facebook Branch, Omusawa, when we score five goals like we did against Thika it means one thing. Or two hands actually.

4. Footballers and fashion get along like a house on fire. During the year, our players tried out wearing their kit by goofing around on the training ground. Epic.

3. AFC Leopards SC is a community club and its fans are always showing that they care. This August, the Ingwelets Branch of the club had a visit to Pumwani Maternity Hospital where they paid the bills for some of the mothers and comforted those who were in pain and congratulated all for having brought forth the future generation of Leopards fans. This photo of Coco with one of the mothers and child was a moving testimony that Leopards in the Community is strong!  

2. If you were in Thika, then you may have cursed the ground as it looked treacherous to both teams. But there was a moment when Leopards scored and all the eleven players on the pitch then joined in for a celebration dance of the goal. What a moment!

1. At number one is this photo that was taken in Mumias when Leopards played Rangers. After the downpour, the four elements that make up this great team can be seen in just one photo. The sponsor is represented by the stadium in which the photo was taken. The players are represented with Patrick Matasi joining those who are moving the water out of the pitch for the game to resume. The fans are represented as they help in making the pitch playable. And the EC is represented with the official (Fred Lutta) supervising the works and urging them on behind. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2012 Photo of the Year!

That, is what AFC Leopards SC is all about! Coming together to get it done.