What We've Done

In 2004, Joe Sargison handed a ball to a group of children in a township in Soweto

In 2005, Joe returned with 2 colleagues and 16 College students to coach young children and distribute 30 balls in Guguletu township in Cape Town

By 2009 was the 5th Balls to Poverty Football tour and the 2nd Balls to Poverty Rugby tour had taken place

Female students and staff travelled for the first time to South Africa in 2008.

By April 2009, 99 different male and female students had taken part in the Balls to Poverty projects in South Africa. This number will rise to 120 by April 2010. 28 different staff members will have been involved by April 2010.

By April 2009, 21,200 balls had been distributed across 18 townships in South Africa. This figure will rise to around 25,000 balls by April 2010.

From this ball distribution, as many as 450,000 young people in South Africa have been given access to a game of football or rugby in their own communities. This figure will rise to around 600,000 young people by April 2010. The impact of this has been very positive in the reduction of crime and young people turning to gangs, now engaged in sport programmes that use our equipment.

Balls To Poverty raised £25,000 at South Africa House in 2006 for The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund

We have coached around 25,000 South Africans across 18 townships and 7,000 English Primary school children across inner-city Nottingham

In addition to sponsorship funding from Unite The Union since 2006, Balls To Poverty has raised £60,000 to fund 21,200 footballs and rugby balls, football equipment, playing strips and 6 sets of metal goalposts. IN April 2010, the college students will embark on a new community development project in rural Cape Town that will involve building and painting a school. The students will raise the money required to make this happen through a series of events in Nottingham leading up to our departure.

We have built 6 football pitches and have put up 6 sets of metal goalposts, corner flags and nets in rural Mbashe in the Eastern Cape. We also provided 10 full football team strips for 10 different villages and a league is being structured to start later in 2009.

By April 2010 The 6th Balls to Poverty Football and Rugby tour took place after rugby students were introduced, along with female students and staff in May 2008.

By April 2010, 124 different male and female students had taken part in the Balls to Poverty projects in South Africa. This number will rise to 150 students by April 2011 and over 30 different staff members will have been involved since 2005.

By April 2011, 25,200 balls will have been distributed across 28 different townships in South Africa, from Soweto, Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth and Mbashe in The East to Guguletu and Delft in Cape Town.

From this ball distribution, it is estimated that as many as 600,000 young people in South Africa will have been given access to a game of football or rugby in their own communities (Source: Government officials). The impact of this has been very positive in the reduction of crime and young people turning to gangs, now engaged in sport programmes that use our equipment.

We have coached around 30,000 South Africans and 10,000 English Primary school children across disadvantaged areas of Nottingham, re-enacting our coaching sessions and sharing experiences and information on South Africa with young people between the ages of 8 and 11 years.

In addition to sponsorship funding from Unite The Union since 2006, Balls To Poverty has raised thousands of pounds to fund the 23,200 footballs and rugby balls, playing strips, 6 sets of metal goalposts, paint and building materials that have been distributed across South Africa.

In April 2010, the college students embarked upon a new community development project in rural Cape Town that involved building and painting two primary schools (Hout Bay and Klipfontein). The students raise the money required to make this happen through a series of fund-raising events throughout the year in Nottingham leading up to our departure.

As part of our community development work, we have built 6 football pitches and have put up 6 sets of metal goalposts, corner flags and nets in rural Mbashe in the Eastern Cape. We also provided 10 full football team strips for 10 different villages and The Balls To Poverty/ Donald Woods Foundation League was set up there in 2009.

Balls To Poverty raised £25,000 at South Africa House in 2006 for The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. The money was used to fund the management of The Happy Hearts Club in Pretoria, a refuge and education centre for young female footballers who find themselves living in extreme poverty.