⚽ Kenya Football Data API

1. Overview

This REST API provides programmatic access to football tournament data. You can retrieve teams, groups, fixtures, scores, players, goal scorers, and tournament statistics. All responses are in JSON format.

The API requires a valid API key and a tournament ID. Keys are issued per tournament and must be kept secret.

2. Authentication

Every request must include your API key. You can send it in two ways:

• Query parameter: &api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
• HTTP header: X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY

3. API Endpoint

Base URL: https://www.kenyafootballdata.com/api.php
(For local testing: http://localhost:3000/api.php)

All requests are HTTP GET. Three parameters are required:

Parameter	Required	Description	Example
t	Yes	Tournament ID	uftn0001
type	Yes	Data type (see table below)	teams
api_key	Yes	Your secret API key	73c26a920a0552181c2bc20b15237713

4. Available Data Types (type)

Type	Returns
teams	All teams participating: ID, name, logo, district, group, status.
groups	Group names, description, venue, qualification/relegation spots, team count.
fixtures	All scheduled matches (past & future) with home/away, date, time, location, result if played.
scores	Only finished matches: final score, result, points, attendance, gate collections.
stats	Overall tournament totals: matches played, total goals, average goals, biggest win, best team.
players	Registered players: name, position, shirt number, photo, team, licence status.
scorers	Top 20 goal scorers: player name, goals, team.
statistics	Discipline (yellow/red cards), assists (total + top assisters), injury count.

5. Example Requests & Responses

5.1 Get all teams in tournament uftn0001

Request URL:

https://www.kenyafootballdata.com/api.php?t=uftn0001&type=teams&api_key=YOUR_KEY

Response (truncated):

{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "team_id": "uftm00001",
      "team_name": "Team 1",
      "team_logo": null,
      "district": "Mombasa",
      "group": "Group 1",
      "status": null
    },
    ...
  ]
}

5.2 Get top goal scorers

https://www.kenyafootballdata.com/api.php?t=uftn0001&type=scorers&api_key=YOUR_KEY

{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {"player_id": "ufp0000003", "player_name": "Player 3 Lovence", "goals": 4, "team_id": "uftm00001", "team_name": "Team 1"}
  ]
}

5.3 Get tournament statistics (cards, assists, injuries)

https://www.kenyafootballdata.com/api.php?t=uftn0001&type=statistics&api_key=YOUR_KEY

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "disciplinary": { "yellow_cards": 4, "red_cards": 1 },
    "assists": { "total_assists": 8, "top_assists": [...] },
    "injuries": { "total_injuries": 2 },
    "top_card_recipients": [...]
  }
}

5.4 Get fixtures (schedule)

https://www.kenyafootballdata.com/api.php?t=uftn0001&type=fixtures&api_key=YOUR_KEY

5.5 Get finished scores

https://www.kenyafootballdata.com/api.php?t=uftn0001&type=scores&api_key=YOUR_KEY

6. Integration Examples

JavaScript (with fetch)

fetch('https://www.kenyafootballdata.com/api.php?t=uftn0001&type=teams&api_key=YOUR_KEY')
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => {
    if (data.success) {
      console.log(data.data);
    } else {
      console.error(data.error);
    }
  });

PHP (using cURL)

<?php
$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, 'https://www.kenyafootballdata.com/api.php?t=uftn0001&type=scorers&api_key=YOUR_KEY');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
$data = json_decode($response, true);
if ($data['success']) {
    foreach ($data['data'] as $scorer) {
        echo $scorer['player_name'] . ' - ' . $scorer['goals'] . ' goals<br>';
    }
}
?>

Python (requests)

import requests
params = {'t': 'uftn0001', 'type': 'players', 'api_key': 'YOUR_KEY'}
resp = requests.get('https://www.kenyafootballdata.com/api.php', params=params)
data = resp.json()
if data['success']:
    for player in data['data']:
        print(player['name'], player['team']['name'])

cURL (command line)

curl "https://www.kenyafootballdata.com/api.php?t=uftn0001&type=stats&api_key=YOUR_KEY"

7. Error Handling & Status Codes

All errors return a JSON object with "success": false and an "error" field explaining the problem.

HTTP Code	Meaning	Error message example
200	Success (even if no data, success=true)	-
400	Missing or invalid parameter	Missing tournament id (t)
401	Invalid/expired API key or missing key	Invalid or expired API key for this tournament.
404	Tournament not found	Tournament not found.

8. Best Practices & Security

• Never expose your API key in client‑side code (frontend JavaScript, mobile apps). Call the API from your own backend server instead.
• Use HTTPS – always encrypt the connection to prevent key leakage.
• Rotate keys periodically – contact admin to revoke old keys and issue new ones.
• Cache responses when possible to reduce load and improve speed (e.g., scores might be cached for 5 minutes).
• Respect rate limits – do not poll the API more than once every few seconds unless necessary.
• Store your key securely – environment variables or secret management services.

9. Frequently Asked Questions

10. Support & Contact