HJFC donates previous kit to youngsters in Ghana
Hassocks Junior Football Club which provides footballing activities to over 300 youth players of Hassocks and the surrounding communities recently donated all their previous football kit to children and young people in Ghana, Africa. The Street to School project where football plays a big part for children in helping them access education and healthcare is called Akwaaba Volunteers.
Akwaaba Volunteers have been operating in Ghana since 2016 working with over 1000 young people and families in the local community. Jordan Palmer, who co-founded the project said,
“our main aim is to Brighten the future of the next generation, alleviate poverty and create better opportunities for underprivileged children and disadvantaged communities in Accra”.
The project provides opportunities for children and young people who want to play sport to then get access to education, health care or good nutrition.
One of the Hassocks Juniors U14 football coaches and his family took five large bags of kit out to the project in Ghana (thanks to the BA Community Branch who provided free excess baggage) and personally delivered it on behalf of the club. They also offered some training and support to the under-13s team and coaches while they were out there. This was a great opportunity for junior footballers in Accra to learn from a junior football coach from the UK and also for the coach to learn from them. Coach Gordon Macleod said,
“I was inspired by the skills, quality of play but also dedication and commitment these young footballers have. They give it everything and appreciate every opportunity they get to play football.”
He also found it moving to see how much the young people appreciated being given a kit and acknowledged the great work done by the project to give children in poverty opportunities to learn and thrive, all through playing football.
“It was also great for coaches and players back in Hassocks to see their kit go directly to the children who need it most. The kit was so popular that even children who don’t currently play football wanted to join in so that they could also have their own Hassocks football kit!”
Ex-Fulham Juniors player King Boateng
At Akwaaba Volunteers we are using the power of sport to unite communities and give children a brighter future. We are so grateful to Hassocks FC and Gordon, Ewan and the family for donating to our Street to school project. New kits give the kids a sense of being part of a team and they look amazing too. Thankyou to everyone for the support and we can’t wait to share their success in their new kits.
Hassocks Junior Football Club Chairman Stuart Doyle was delighted to see the pictures of children and young people enjoying football in disadvantaged communities on the other side of the world and to know that the kit had found a good home.
“Everyone at Hassocks Juniors is very proud of the work that we do as a club and to have people working in the club who want to see children in Ghana to benefit from football and enjoy having a good kit to play in.”
He adds that:
“Football is a game for everyone and it’s wonderful to be able to reach out through the sport to those less fortunate. We would like to thank coaches, parents and players for their kind donations of kits and boots.”
