Activities:
Training sessions
The Association organizes four one hour and-a- half after school training sessions weekly, led by our Coach. For now, the sessions have been conducted in the courtyard of Danso School in the Serrekunda area, along a sand pitch where adult teams train and play matches. The Sports Director assists the junior coach in designing the practice plan, ameliorating his firs
t-aid skills, and developing a long-term athletic vision for the team. Weekly matches
Every Thursday, the Coach chooses 15 participating children in order to form his squad for the Saturday match. Performance and diligence on the training ground are the main criteria for selection. The matches are organized under the Association’s auspices, as there is no institutionalized children’s league in The Gambia. As the Association progresses, we are hoping to lay the foundations for such a league, in which many other youth teams could participate. In mainland Africa’s smallest country, there is a mandatory stop on the road to adulthood: the football pitch. Far from the spotlight of international football and million-dollar contracts, thousands of Gambian children meet on the field daily to chase the ball, and for a few moments, chase away the troubles of growing up in one the world’s least developed nations. In The Gambia, football is a means to reach children at risk of dropping school, reinforce the social cohesion between different ethnic and religious communities, keep youth away from drugs, and promote their healthy athletic development. So there is more to Gambia’s favorite pastime than kicking a ball around. The Association, founded in summer 2014, has two main goals:
1. To provide an environment for constructive recreation in which the Association’s core values - athleticism, sportsmanship, and respect - orient the children’s journey through childhood. Of course, the Association is entirely non-profit and membership is free.
2. To contribute to the development of sports in The Gambia, as youth programs promote the early discovery and development of promising athletes, which later make their country proud, and serve as inspirational figures. The children’s enthusiasm for the Association – or the academy, as the children call it – is as high as it is heartwarming. So Gainde hopes that the generosity of donors worldwide will match their outstanding efforts as proud, young lions
