In A League of Their Own

Co-founder, George discusses the first half with the team. They sit in their positions to reinforce the importance of the formation.

By Jamie Hansell (92-02)

Irecently visited my friend and fellow ON J ‘Alex’ Scott (91-01) in Malawi. Last time I was there in January 2015, he was at planning stage of creating a football academy with fellow Brit, George Maguire. Alex and George had spoken many times over a beer and Premier League game about what should happen in Malawi. The pro clubs have literally no youth structures below U20s at all, and how much of a waste that is, and how unfair the world is in terms of where you are born. They decided to do something about this. On this visit I got to see all their hard work and planning come to fruition.

Chigoli Academy is a not-for-profit football academy, based in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. Chigoli aims to create generations of male and female players to represent Malawi on the global stage and to be responsible role models for future generations of some of the poorest children on the planet. Malawi is a friendly, beautiful country that I would encourage anyone to visit. In 2015, the World Bank declared Malawi the poorest country per capita in the world. The difference that Chigoli is making to these children’s lives is huge. Providing talented male and female players private education scholarships, nutritional support and a proven character development as well as an opportunity in football they would never have otherwise. The aim is to put players into professional football and some children into US-based private high school scholarships in the next five years. The key point is that the players have to earn their opportunities. Given the level at which they start and the world they’ve grown up in, anyone who makes it, truly deserves it. In turn, they hope to create role models to inspire future generations, as other African countries have done already.

During my visit, I managed to spend three weekends at Chigoli seeing the different age groups train, play games and take part in educational lessons. The academy makes use of facilities at the international school in the capital. Here you have almost all the facilities we have at the RGS. Fridays after school the kids train, with games taking place on a Saturday or a Sunday. Each session starts with porridge for all to supplement their diet. Alex had a volunteer called Amir staying with him during my visit. Originally from Jerusalem, he has a BA (Hons) in Football Studies. I spent a lot of my time with him as he coached the U12s. Their commitment to football and learning is quite exemplary. Amir will be followed by other volunteers with a high-calibre background in football who are looking to make a difference.

Alex faces a real challenge pushing for an honest and fair football league even with the support of FIFA. Some away pitches wouldn’t even have been considered for football in Europe. One has a four feet concrete block on the left wing!

For more information on Chigoli visit their website: www.chigoli.org

It can go from glorious sunshine, to a wash out within moments in the rainy season!