Kikwete’s dreams come true

Dar es Salaam. President Jakaya Kikwete’s legacy in sports development in the country is expected to remain for generation to come, thanks to Sunderland AFC for further strengthening its football links with Tanzania.

Sunderland AFC said the club is committed to a ground-breaking football partnership with Tanzania and the global electricity giant, Symbion Power, which will see the opening of a new sports park at academy at Kidongo Chekundu in Dar es Salaam on October 17.

The partnership will see Sunderland AFC lend its expertise to the creation of a community-based sports park located in Dar es Salaam.

Named after the outgoing President, Jakaya Kikwete, the youth park will provide a full-size 3G artificial surface, along with two five-a-side pitches, a sand-based pitch, two basketball courts, and a playground.

An administration building as well as changing rooms and a snack bar facility will also be provided, along with floodlighting, to ensure the community can make best use of the facilities. According to a press released yesterday by the club, the Sunderland’s technical and practical support to the development of the project is the first of its kind in the country.

The park, a non-profit project, will see thousands of youngsters benefit from a joined up approach combining sport, education and community engagement, harnessing the knowledge and expertise of Sunderland AFC and its own successful academy, the statement said.

To kick off the partnership in 2013, Sunderland AFC was honoured to welcome a delegation from Tanzania to the club, headed by President Kikwete and Paul Hinks, the Symbion Power chief executive officer.

The delegation met with senior club officials and city leaders, including SAFC chairman Ellis Short and chief executive officer Margaret Byrne, enjoying a tour of Sunderland’s 49,000 capacity home, the Stadium of Light and state of the art Academy of Light training facility.

During the visit the Tanzanian delegation also saw some of the ground-breaking work of the club’s charity, Foundation of Light, widely recognised as the blue print for football community engagement in the United Kingdom.

Through its many partnerships, relationships with football clubs and grassroots activities, Sunderland AFC continues to establish itself as one of the most recognised and respected English Premier League clubs across Africa through the work it is doing, said the statement.

“Sunderland AFC has, and always will be, a club with a firm focus on the importance of community. The club’s Foundation of Light is a driving force for social improvement in the north east of England, and works with more than 40,000 local people annually,” it added.

“This pastoral approach transfers to the club’s international outlook and sits at the heart of all activities across the globe. Contributing and giving back to the communities in which the club operates is of primary importance,” said the statement.

Coaches are already leading innovative programmes at the grass-roots level, while sporting and business expertise is being shared amongst partner businesses, community organisations and football clubs.

The club is looking to create supporters for the future across Africa while recognising that this process is a two-way street.

African fans are being welcomed into the family of Sunderland supporters in increasing numbers - but a key focus is to ensure that those supporters can see the impact their club is having in areas which need support.

Going forward Sunderland AFC will provide technical and practical support to the development of additional Youth Park projects in conjunction with Symbion Power.

SAFC will also assist in securing business partners for the project to increase its longevity and potential, utilising its expertise in this field, having already forged strong football and business partnerships in South Africa, Tanzania and Ghana, with activities across other African territories also currently in development.