Team effort to get football kits to Africa
GUERNSEY charity Goal50 and DHL are preparing to send a container of donated sports kit to South Africa this week to provide clothing for children in Cape Town townships.
The KitXchange scheme was launched seven years ago and hundreds of shirts that have featured on Guernsey’s football fields have travelled 6,000 miles to delight young footballers in the dangerous shanty towns.
‘You’ll find Norman Piette and Aurigny sponsored shirts bringing joy in some of the most violent communities on the planet,’ said Goal 50 founder Nigel Pascoe.
‘The same can be said for football boots, socks, shorts and shirts. You can still play football in bare feet, but scuffing your toes on the stony fields and tracks of a township in South Africa is no fun at all.
‘In the tough environment of the Cape Flats, it’s very special to have your own boots, but parents cannot afford to buy kit for their children.’
Guernsey KitXchange organiser Clara Le Vallee estimated that she and her sons had packed more than 2,500 items since KitXchange began.
She said the most sought-after items are replica Premier League club kits because township children follow the teams.
‘Donated items are met with great joy in the townships. For many it represents a new set of clothes as they possess only the clothing they are wearing.’
She said KitXchange was not limited to just football and they had sent other kit including a full squad netball kit and running vests.
‘We can always find a good home for sports clothing.’
Mrs Le Vallee said there is room in the container for more and anyone willing to donate can email her at pixie@cwgsy.net.
DHL will deliver the current consignment to Cape Town by the end of June.
