The display of some of our favourite photos will be up in the Gallery of St Martin in the Fields Church from 10am until 5pm from 24th to 29th January.   Please feel free to drop in – it’s a public venue with no entrance charge.

A sample of some of the images can be seen below – if you’d like to buy a canvas print of any of our photos, please contact tom@tackleafrica.org

Football Marathon 2012 will take place on Saturday 7th July on Wormwood Scrubs Playing Fields in North West London (nearest tube East Acton on central line) .

It will almost certainly be the biggest, best and most successful charity football tournament of the year.     Why would you not get involved?

Here’s how it works:

• Squads of 8 will play 6aside football in an ingeniously structured super-tournament for 12 hours
• Each team has a fundraising target of £1,000 – which works out to £125 per player, £20 of which must be donated at time of registration
• Every team gets their own set of t-shirts, full fundraising support, and their own unique match schedules
• Teams will play about 25 games of 20 minute football, with roughly 4 games on to every ‘rest’ game
• During ‘rest’ games, some players will referee games involving other teams
• GPS systems from previous years indicate each player will cover about 40km over the course of the day – a little further than running a Marathon
• It’ll be really, really, really fun, if quite painful  Some feedback from teams in previous years can be found below
• The money you raise will save lives

Over the last 10 years, the Football Marathon has raised over half a million pounds.   In 2011, 63 teams raised £140,000, playing 788 games of football in a single day.

Here’s how you register:

1.   Download the below Team application form.   Complete it in full and email it (in existing excel format)to tom@tackleafrica.org.

Team application form – Ladies Football Marathon 2012 London

2.   Each player needs to make a registration donation of £20 at the time of registering, which is easiest done online at www.justgiving.com/footballmarathon2012

3.   Once registered you’ll receive confirmation of your place plus fundraising packs, sponsorship forms and further details as the big day approaches.    You also get to choose your team colours and there will be prizes and tournament-perks for teams who exceed their fundraising targets by the day of the event.

Notes:

Deadline for team registration is 1st June 2012.   

Teams must be all female – though mixed-gender or all-male teams can enter the larger event taking place alongside this one on the same day.   To take part the only criteria are that you are over 16, are in good enough physical condition to take part (check with your GP if unsure) and are at least as committed to hitting your fundraising target as you are to playing football for 12 hours.

For more information, email tom@tackleafrica.org

Here’s some feedback from players in previous Football Marathons:  

“I wanted to say a massive thank you to you and the rest of the TackleAfrica team for the football marathon 2011… I don’t think there’s anything (apart from the weather!!) that I can think of that would improve the day”

“WHAT AN AMAZING EVENT!!!”

 ”As a player manager it felt like the event ran as smoothly as Ronaldo’s waxed chest.    Despite my shins feeling as broken as Abi Clancey’s poor heart, I and the team will definitely be back for more punishment next year”

”Massive thank you to the TackleAfrica crew – this was the biggest and best that I’ve attended (this was my 5th).   Even though we are all in pain it is a small price to pay for the work your charity does on a daily basis”

”I think the marathon mirrors a few of the qualities you guys have as an organisation – committed, inspiring, fun, inclusive.   The guys were blown away both by the challenge and completely uplifted by the event”

Football Marathon 2012 will take place on Saturday 7th July on Wormwood Scrubs Playing Fields in North West London (nearest tube East Acton on central line) .

It will almost certainly be the biggest, best and most successful charity football tournament of the year.     Why would you not get involved?

Here’s how it works:

• Squads of 8 will play 6aside football in an ingeniously structured super-tournament for 12 hours
• Each team has a fundraising target of £1,760 – which works out to £220 per player, £20 of which must be donated at time of registration
• Every team gets their own set of t-shirts, full fundraising support, and their own unique match schedules
• Teams will play about 25 games of 20 minute football, with roughly 4 games on to every ‘rest’ game
• During ‘rest’ games, some players will referee games involving other teams
• GPS systems from previous years indicate each player will cover about 40km over the course of the day – a little further than running a Marathon
• It’ll be really, really, really fun, if quite painful  Some feedback from teams in previous years can be found below
• The money you raise will save lives

Over the last 10 years, the Football Marathon has raised over half a million pounds.   In 2011, 63 teams raised £140,000, playing 788 games of football in a single day.

Here’s how you register:

1.   Download the below Team application form.   Complete it in full and email it (in existing excel format)to tom@tackleafrica.org.

Team application form – Football Marathon 2012 LONDON

2.   Each player needs to make a registration donation of £20 at the time of registering, which is easiest done online at www.justgiving.com/footballmarathon2012

3.   Once registered you’ll receive confirmation of your place plus fundraising packs, sponsorship forms and further details as the big day approaches.    You also get to choose your team colours and there will be prizes and tournament-perks for teams who exceed their fundraising targets by the day of the event.

Notes:

Deadline for team registration is 1st June 2012.    The event will be capped at 64 teams on a first come first served basis.

Teams can be all male, all female or mixed gender – though note there is also an all-female event taking place at the same place, same date if female teams would rather compete in this

To take part the only criteria are that you are over 16, are in good enough physical condition to take part (check with your GP if unsure) and are at least as committed to hitting your fundraising target as you are to playing football for 12 hours.

For more information, email tom@tackleafrica.org

Here’s some feedback from players in previous Football Marathons:  

“I wanted to say a massive thank you to you and the rest of the TackleAfrica team for the football marathon 2011… I don’t think there’s anything (apart from the weather!!) that I can think of that would improve the day”

“WHAT AN AMAZING EVENT!!!”

 ”As a player manager it felt like the event ran as smoothly as Ronaldo’s waxed chest.    Despite my shins feeling as broken as Abi Clancey’s poor heart, I and the team will definitely be back for more punishment next year”

”Massive thank you to the TackleAfrica crew – this was the biggest and best that I’ve attended (this was my 5th).   Even though we are all in pain it is a small price to pay for the work your charity does on a daily basis”

”I think the marathon mirrors a few of the qualities you guys have as an organisation – committed, inspiring, fun, inclusive.   The guys were blown away both by the challenge and completely uplifted by the event”

HIV remains one of the biggest issues affecting the lives of African people.   Each year up to 2 million Africans acquire the infection, and about 1.3 million die as a result of it.   One in 20 Sub-saharan African adults is living with HIV, and about 12 million African children have been orphaned by the pandemic.

This is one of the biggest humanitarian issues in the world, and it should be centre-stage in people’s minds EVERY day, not just on 1st December. 

The good news is that recent years have brought with them real evidence that education and treatment really do work, and with this comes genuine hope that an end may be in sight.   New infection rates in 22 African countries fell by more than 25% between 2001 and 2009, and by the end of 2008, 44% of people needing antiretroviral therapy received the drugs – an increase from 2% 5 years previously.  

The reasons for these live-saving improvements are – broadly – twofold.   Firstly people in Africa have successfully changed their behaviour as a result of access to information and resources – and secondly people all over the world have stepped up to the challenge of providing these resources.    This is how simple saving lives can be – people giving and accepting help.

Clearly there is a long way to go.   HIV is nowhere near as high on the global agenda as it should be, particularly in these euphemistically termed ‘times of austerity’ (we Brits may be rightly worried about our pensions, but in Uganda food inflation is at 50% and people are worried about their next meal).    Global pledges made at G8 summits have not been delivered and we will fall well short of some of the Millenium Development Goals relating  to HIV.   As a result, millions will die unnecessarily due to lack of treatment, lack of resources, lack of information – in essence, lack of interest and commitment from the developed world.

Here’s what you can do to help.   Pick one or more that strike the most resonance with you and do them today.

1.    Read and share something about the HIV pandemic.   We recommend this:   http://www.positivenation.co.uk/magazine.php?section_id=8&issue_id=6  – or the latest UN report here or Avert’s excellent website where some of the stats above came from

2.   Donate £10 to TackleAfrica by texting ‘TKAF11 £10′ to 70070.   We will use your money to deliver HIV education through football coaching to young people across Africa

3.   Register free with http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/tackleafrica and TackleAfrica will receive a small donation from major retailers when you shop online

4.   Run a fundraising event for TackleAfrica at your school, workplace, university or football team.  We’ll help, contact us for more details

5.  ‘Like’ or ‘Follow’ TackleAfrica at www.facebook.com/tackleafrica or @tackleafrica on twitter.   Ask others to like or follow us too

6.    Make a regular donation at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charities/tackleafrica - it costs about £100 a year to train and support an African coach or schoolteacher to deliver HIV education to about 50 young people.   Give £10 a month and we’ll be able to throw in a couple of footballs too.

7.    Talk to your employer about partnership with TackleAfrica.   We can work with your staff to change lives in Africa.

8.    Register your interest in next year’s Football Marathon – email tom@tackleafrica.org

9.    Organise your own Football Marathon with our support – email tom@tackleafrica.org

10.   Volunteer your time and expertise to TackleAfrica – whether you’re a football coach, marketing expert, event organiser, researcher, doctor or anything else we will probably need your help.   email info@tackleafrica.org

11.    Climb Kilimanjaro in April and raise money for TackleAfrica.   Email tom@tackleafrica.org

one game saves lives

The Alive & Kicking Orphanage World Cup aimed to give 500 orphans and vulnerable children in the city of Lusaka access to organised football and netball competitions and at the same time provide life skills training and HIV/AIDS sensitisation. A series of mini leagues were held over a 6 month period and were followed by a World Cup style tournament running over two weeks and culminating in a thrilling final on August 28^th. During the mini-leagues, health awareness coaching sessions were conducted with participating teams.

A total of 450 footballs and netballs have been donated, over 500 children have received HIV/AIDS awareness, and 109 coaches and teachers have received training on how to disseminate HIV/AIDS awareness through sport. In a city where there are limited opportunities for the most vulnerable children to take part in organised sport, this project has been received with gratitude and smiles by children and their teachers and coaches alike.

TackleAfrica’s Ben Sadler, the Project Manager for the A&K Orphanage World Cup has a wealth of experience of organising tournaments around the world. He had the following to say:  

“The league competitions have been very well received. Hundreds of participants have competed and they have been joined by the local community who have come out to support and enjoy the sports on show. The players have not only embraced the competition element but also been open to building their HIV and AIDS knowledge.”

Samuel Sibanda, 17, a participant from Dream Runners Orphanage had his message for Alive & Kicking supporters across the globe,

“I would like to tell you all that we will not let you down because we are united. The league has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life and has put smiles on the faces of me and all of my friends. We played well and meeting with different kinds of people made me happy because we cooperated and learnt from one another – lack of knowledge leads many people into bad decision making so the HIV games have helped us a lot”

The final event took place at the Zambian Olympic Youth Development Centre in August. The finals were spread over two weekends to ensure the traditional World Cup knock out format could be implemented. The venue offered safe and fun facilities including a state of the art artificial pitch which was a highlight for many of the participants.

William Kaluba, 15 from Emmasdale OVCs said “I have never seen a pitch like this before. We play in our compound on a small dirt pitch. This is so big and flat – All of the teams are saying the same thing, we all can’t wait to play”

40 teams took part in the event, 16 of which had participated in the regional leagues as the remaining six teams had other commitments. In total 782 participants (128 girls and 654 boys) played in both the netball and football tournaments, with support from 97 coaches, teachers and peer leaders as well as approximately 350 spectators.

Issac Kumwenda, a peer leader from Fountain of Hope Orphanage commented,

“This has been the best tournament we have ever participated in. We played in the regional league and since then I have never seen our boys so motivated. They have come to training every day in preparation for the finals and now they have played on the best pitch in Zambia – The tournament has given the boys hope and excitement – I just hope that an event like this can happen again, I have never seen so many teams play”

Since the event was called the World Cup, each team was given a country to represent. In the football competition, Kalingalinga OVCs won the title, representing Kenya and beating Germany in the final. In the netball, Fountain of Hope, representing Zambia, beat England to be crowned champions.

During the event, as part of Youth Week, participants had access to mobile Voluntary Counselling and Test Centres that were available for use at the Olympic Centre.

GoodMakers all star sports co-ordinator Max Ulaner delivers a message to TackleAfrica all the way from Baraa in Northern Tanzania. TA trained the “Baraa mbili” or “Tanzania Two” in Nairobi, Kenya to deliver HIV messaging through football to young people at Baraa Primary school.

This video was taken at a TackleAfrica tournament held at the primary school attended by over a thousand boys and girls. Max himself was trained to deliver TA’s unique football drills as well as how to develop as a football coach, and TA’s gratitude goes out to him for all the work he did during his time with us.

TackleAfrica and GoodMakers films have recently completed a project working together in Kenya and Tanzania and are looking forward to many more in the future. For more information check out the GM website www.goodmakersfilms.org and keep your eyes peeled for more collaborations at www.tackleafrica.org or at www.facebook.com/tackleafrica!

 One Game Saves Lives

The event will take place on Sunday 11th December between 11am and 3pm at King George V playing fields, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 6HE.   It’s just £5.50 per player and all proceeds will go to TackleAfrica.

Futbolistas football coaching for girls is run by TackleAfrica volunteer coach educator Becca Todd.   For more information, visit www.futbolistasfootballcoaching.com , download the flyer below or email becca@futbolistasfootballcoaching.com

Futbolistas_Exeter 2011

See below for a video of Becca’s recent trip to Kenya with TackleAfrica

To apply, please send a covering letter (no longer than two sides of A4) and CV to Gavin Atkins – gavin@tackleafrica.org. Your covering letter should outline how you meet the person specification for the role and invites to interview will be made on this basis. Interviews are likely to take place the first week in December.

The closing date for applications is Tuesday 22nd November.

Tackle Africa Chief Executive Ad.doc   TackleAfrica CEO Job Description

Predator Nutrition, a leading sports supplement retailer, have organised a 5-aside football tournament to raise money and awareness for TackleAfrica.

The tournament will be taking place in Leeds on Saturday 10^th December 2011, at Soccercity.  The event will kick off at 10.30am.

It’s just £10 per player to enter and each team has a ‘best effort’ fundraising target of £100.   Predator Nutrition hope to raise £1,000 to support TackleAfrica’s work.

 If anyone would like to enter a team into the tournament please contact david@predatornutrition.com.

Our justgiving page is https://www.justgiving.com/Predator-Nutrition

Visit Predator Nutrition’s website and order your sports supplements at www.predatornutrition.com

TackleAfrica-trained coach educator Becca spent a month in Kenya alongside Yianny and Ndunda delivering coach training programmes and tournaments with our local partners.    59 coaches were trained over 3 courses with MYSA, Bravilian Queens and the Oasis orphanage project, and these coaches will be supported to deliver HIV education through football coaching to over 2,000 young people.

Watch here: 

One game saves lives