Boots4Africa Hits Nigeria With Football Dev Programme

Nigeria and other African countries are set to benefit from the football development programme of Boots4Africa a charity organisation based in the United Kingdom and powered by Shiffield Football Club, the oldest football club in the world.

The organisation is pursing its vision of priority football boots free of charge African youngsters, who ordinarily would not be able to afford or have access to one.

According to the African co-ordinator of the organisation Mr. Ipalli Buttons Iyalla, they want to key in to the 2010 World cup to be hosted by Africa for the very first time in South Africa and leave an enduring legacy that will last the time.

He explained that when Richard Tim, chairman of Sheffield FC visited South Africa, he saw children playing football with bare feet and was moved to initiate the Boot4Africa initiative.

Sheffied Fc, seen as where the game truly began wants to use the standing to sow the seeds for the next generation of players.

“These boots may be the children’s first ever pair and each will offer a generation of young people a new sense of hope, pride and ambition”.

Already, five African countries, Nigeria, Congo, Zimbabwe, Cameroun and South Africa have signed on to the programme.

The programme will be officially launched in May in Nigeria, which will be the African headquarters of the organisation.

Iyalla stated that the visions, aims and objectives of the Boot4Africa include using football as a tool for community cohesion and social inclusion, support for youth football associations, foundations, schools and academics by providing boots, footballs and coaching services through training the trainer programmes.

Others are campaign to kickout football violence and youth empowerment, support and promote youth sports education, encourage companies, organisations, states and provinces to create sports facilities, particularly for street kids to play football, among others.

Fund raising is also paramount for the programme inorder to maintain the spirit of the game in Africa.

The organisation, which has made some in roads the six geo-political zones in the country.