Tummery FC kitting out young footballers in African country

FOOTBALL kits donated by Tummery Athletic FC are being proudly worn by youngsters in Senegal.

Martin Hughes, a player with the local club, recently embarked on a trip to Dakar, Senegal where he lent his knowledge and sporting skills to a project organised by the ‘Ambassadors Football Ireland’.

Martin was asked to participate in the project which mainly consisted of coaching and playing football.

The Ambassadors Football Club intends to build sporting facilities for the kids to progress their skills.

To date, £30,000 has been raised to secure the land and ignite the project.

Martin said, “At the minute the kids are playing on dirt pitches, with no grass and mostly in bare feet. The idea is to build facilities, to give the young ones a chance.”

Martin describes his ten day visit as “extremely rewarding” and is keen to see how the project has developed.

“I would like to get out again, whether that’s next year or when the project is finished and the facilities are up and running. I’d like to see how far it has come on.”

Martin acknowledges the “tireless encouragement and assistance” from Tummery Athletic FC.

“Tummery athletic were fantastic,” he said.

“They organised a charity match and raised money for the charity. The club also organised to send both new and used kits over to Senegal.”

Martin continued, “I brought them over to the wee kids and when you’re handing them out you’d think you’re giving them a million pounds. It’s only a wee football top but it goes a long way, some of them don’t even have shoes.”

In addition to the donation of kits, some of the Tummery Athletic players also donated football boots and shoes.

Shaun McDermott, secretary, Tummery Athletic FC, said, “When the club learned about Marty’s trip to Senegal, we called on parents and players to donate what they could to send out with Marty. We are delighted that the club gear is going to a worthy cause. The project in Senegal will have a huge impact on the people of the area and we are grateful we have been able to donate gear to the locals.”

The generosity of the local community has been nothing short of remarkable, as well as Martin’s efforts in rallying support for this admirable project.

Martin concluded, “It’s great just seeing the wee kids enjoying themselves. Even if you’re walking past and you give them a bag of sweets or a can of coke, they share it amongst themselves, there’s no greed.

“Even just high fiving them… they are always smiling and happy to see people.”