At Africa on the Ball we know change is hard and that sustainable positive change is really hard. However, we also believe in the power of football to change lives for the better. That’s why we keep our work simple, with clear objectives. We use football to promote positive change: health messages, education, community development, gender equality. We give young people – boys and girls – the chance to play football in a structured way, as part of a team. And as part of that team, we help them to learn new things and give something back to their community through outreach programmes.

Development is messy. It’s political. To get things done, you need to pick sides. We pick the side of our players and their families. We ask them how we can help. What they need. What the community needs. What matters to them. Africa on the Ball is a team in every sense of the word. We work together to achieve goals as well as score them.

And there’s always room for new teammates!