Fans urged to pitch in for Malawi children

AROUND 1000 young footballers in one of Africa's poorest countries could soon be playing in strips from Edinburgh.

All clubs in the Capital are being urged to donate their old strips to a new campaign to help development in Malawi.

The city council has backed the campaign and posters are being put up in all Edinburgh Leisure facilities urging users to hand in team strips and replica shirts.

The move comes after former marketing manager Bob Stewart visited the country and saw first-hand the lack of resources for the Play Soccer Malawi project.

The non-profit project aims to help children aged five to 14 develop an interest in football while also learning about issues such as health and social development.

Dr Stewart, 54, is due to hand over the first batch of 80 strips in Malawi on Friday.

He said: "The conditions are terrible and they play in what is only a dust ground but what this project does is incredible. They had hardly any strips or equipment either.

"It's not just about football, they learn life skills, conflict resolution, and get important health and sport messages as well."

Dr Stewart first visited the country last year after Penicuik High School - where his wife Mary, 54, is principal guidance teacher - had struck up a partnership with a school in the small Malawi village of Tnyolo.

They were shocked that a pilot project had seen 1700 children sign up with only seven strips between them.

He collected 80 strips from city clubs, and a friend who works for Setanta Sports convinced Celtic to donate more than 80 kits.

But he decided to step up the campaign and wrote to the city council for assistance. All Edinburgh Leisure centres are now taking donations of strips and a target of 1000 has been set.

Dr Stewart says he is considering contacting the other councils in the Lothians and could even make it a national appeal.

Hutchison Vale donated five sets of strips from its various teams. Its secretary, Les Trotter, is also a founding member of Unite The Clubs.

He said: "We're going to supply them with strips every year now. It's a fantastic cause and I can't see any team not being willing to back it."

The city's sport leader, Councillor Deidre Brock, said: "In this country football is often treated as a matter of life and death, but in Malawi this can actually be a reality. The health education these children receive during these sessions really could save their lives."