Children 5,000 miles away in Zimbabwe send ‘thank you to people of Liverpool’

By Liverpool Echo

LIVERPOOL: Children and young people in Zimbabwe are saying ‘thank you’ to the people of Liverpool as Scousers help to turn their lives around through the power of football.

Friendly Football Academy, a youth sports organisation based in Harare, Zimbabwe, deals with many young people from “broken homes” and with histories of “drug abuse”.

But with the help of a sports bank based in Liverpool, they are able to make a difference. Mike Boyle, a coach at Allerton Football Club, started Stevie Hill and Dave Jones’ sports bank in 2020, in memory of late football coach Stevie and former secretary of Allerton FC Dave.

Its aim is to “make sports available to everyone”. They do this by giving donations such as sports kits, football boots and clothing to children whose parents can’t afford to buy them, in Liverpool, but also in Zimbabwe, where they are used by Friendly Football Academy.

Mike told the ECHO: “I met the Zimbabwe lads in 2017 during a football tournament with all the young boys on my team, and we became friends.

“We’ve been donating football kits, sports stuff and anything that we could get. We get donations from people in the city.

“I end up having sheds of donations from the people of Liverpool. I’ve said that maybe it’d be better to get a container!

“The kids over there have never had a pair of football boots, and they’re so appreciative. They’re very grateful for what they get and they’re very humble people.

“The kids over there have never had a pair of football boots, and they’re so appreciative. They’re very grateful for what they get and they’re very humble people.

“There’s a lot of trouble over there now, and they’re so appreciative for what they get. I get sent videos of them saying ‘Thank you to the people of Liverpool’ and all sorts of stuff that they send me.

“There’s some sad stories about some of the kids, and it’s great seeing their faces when they get a pair of football boots – and they’re not even brand new, they’re second hand.

“It’s not just sports equipment; it’s clothes, shoes and socks – anything. It’s unbelievable, the stuff which we’ve got over the past few years. It’s brilliant.”

Reuben Tawodzera, who works with Friendly Football Academy in Zimbabwe, told the ECHO: “The donations the sports bank have given us range from football kits, football boots, clothes, tracksuits, boxing equipment, quite a lot of things.

“These donations have made such a huge impact on our communities in Zimbabwe. We have children that are coming from families where they can’t afford sports kits, so the sports bank has made it possible.

“It’s helped us get some children away from drug abuse and negative things like that. Through the sports bank donations, we have managed to see kids coming away from drugs and alcohol abuse.

“Now they are able to play football and showcase their talents. It’s so positive for them and for their health.

“The sports bank has made sports available to everyone in our communities. They are making sports available to anyone, regardless of their background.

Article continues below

“We want to say a big thank you to the people of Liverpool because their donations have made a big impact in our communities.”

Some of the children who go to Friendly Football Academy walk 8km to get there. Reuben continued: “The distance which some of the children cover to come to the sports centre, some are walking 5km, some 8km, so if we could get a minibus to collect them from their pickup points, that much appreciated.

“Another challenge is the cost of getting the equipment to Zimbabwe. We are asking if the communities could help us to get financial assistance to get those donations to Zimbabwe.”

Article continues below

Friendly Football Academy now has plans to create a tournament in memory of Stevie Hill and Dave Jones. Reuben added: “We are now doing an annual tournament in memory of Steve Hill and Dave Jones.

“The people of Zimbabwe are saying thank you to the Liverpool community.”