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1 Comment- Add comment Written on 23-Aug-2010 by malcylon__2__.jpg)
0 Comments- Add comment Written on 23-Aug-2010 by malcylonBeneath the layer upon layer of articles about big money signings and whether the manager of the day can fashion a side to win the Premier League, there are always incredibly heart-warming stories to be heard about the generosity of City fans around the world.
One such story concerns the huge dedication of a small number of fans to make the impossible possible. On Wednesday 25th August Phil Holme, Tony Griffiths, Alex Channon, Howard Burr will travel to Freetown in Sierra Leone in order to deliver a mini-bus for an aspiring youth football club that was setup as a City supporting club. Paul Lake, Ambassador for City in the Community will also travel with the party. They have been helped by the generosity of fans around the world to make it happen.
Here is an abridged version of the story so far as told by Phil Holme of the Portadown Supporters Club branch...
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Armani with future young MCFC Sierra Leone players
In the autumn of 2003 a member of Reddish Branch of the MCFC supporters club completed 30 years as a police officer in Manchester and retired. He then started working in Sierra Leone in West Africa, where his job was to train detectives out there to investigate child abuse.
Sierra Leone has for the past several years been either last, or second to last in the world wealth league tables published every year. Average life expectancy is around 38 years and living conditions for most people are appalling. On top of all these problems the country has gone through a particularly bloody civil war that lasted 11 years and only ended in 2000.
When he arrived in Freetown, the capital City, Tony noticed the usual scattering of people wearing Arsenal, Liverpool and Stretford shirts. It soon became apparent that football is massive in the country and most people follow the English Premier League.
At the end of his first week he was enjoying a beer at a beach bar when a young man approached him by the name of Armani Sheku Kamara who was selling watches, sunglasses etc. He noticed that he was wearing a Stretford lapel badge and as Tony is a dyed in the wool blue he joked with the young man that he could not buy any of his merchandise from a man wearing such an offensive item. Within a short time he agreed to throw the offending item into the Atlantic Ocean and negotiations commenced.
It soon became apparent that not only did he have a good knowledge of Premier League football he also had a good knowledge of the ups and downs of Manchester City. He assured Tony that he was only wearing the offending badge because a customer had given it to him and he promised him that if he could get him a City shirt he would be a City fan for the rest of his life. Little did he know what that conversation would lead to.
In early 2004 Tony returned to Sierra Leone having spent a few weeks back in Manchester, and of course took back with him a City shirt for Armani. Within a few days of receiving the shirt Armani told Tony that he was setting up a Man City Supporters Club in Freetown. When Tony next returned to UK he discussed the Sierra Leone situation, first with Howard Burr the Secretary of the Reddish Branch and then with Alex Channon former Chair of the CSA. It was then that the Sierra Leone Branch of the Manchester City Supporters Club was born.
On Tony’s next visit he was able to take back with him several dozen assorted City shirts donated by City fans over here. They proved very popular and soon were being seen all around the Freetown streets. Soon Armani had formed a Manchester City Football team in Freetown as well as a Junior Man City team. The problem was that they were wearing a red and white striped kit that they had to rent on a match-by-match basis. Following discussion with Lorraine Firth at Manchester City the Club kindly donated a full kit for the team out there. There was also a concerted effort by a lot of Branches to collect as many shirts, boots as possible these were also sent out to Sierra Leone.
Tony Griffiths last visited Sierra Leone in March 2007 and we were proud to hear of many men women and children wearing an array of City shirts around the capital and beyond. The football team formed such a short time ago is going from strength to strength and Armani is something of a local celebrity who is frequently interviewed on national radio in Sierra Leone and works extremely hard to promote Man City for no financial reward. On 23rd November 2008 the Man City Youth team appeared in the Sierra Leone F.A. Youth Cup final and WON. Not bad for a team that did not exist 4 years ago. You now can't walk through Freetown without seeing a City shirt and hearing shouts of “City till I die”
Unfortunately the first team had to pull out of the main league last season as it did not have enough cash to fulfil their away fixtures although the league have agreed to keep their place in division two for next season assuming they have funds in place.
The next phase is to try and help make the team financially independent by raising money for a mini bus this doubles up as both transport to away matches, which is one of the most prohibitive costs to the team, and during the rest of the week it becomes a revenue maker by running it as a proper bus in Freetown. This will give two people a job and also raise enough cash to keep the teams running. Also it should provide enough to replace the bus every 10 years.
This is not just another fund raiser - the work being done is changing lives and keeping young people off the streets and giving them a common bond - it is CHANGING LIVES and even SAVING some.
The bus arrived in Manchester on 12th July where it was liveried up with sponsorship logos including the new MCFC Supporters Club logo. Special thanks to Barclay Signs Ltd from Stockport who did this free of charge. The bus is now on its way to Sierra Leone with all the kit and equipment donated by Man City fans where Tony, Howard, Alex, Paul, Neil Cole from Endemol (who will be filming the whole process) and myself (Phil Holme) will be there to meet and deliver it to MCFC Sierra Leone and Armani.
We can’t thank the Club enough in particular Garry Cook and Paul Lake but everyone has been fantastic, there are too many to mention but our heartfelt thanks goes to EVERYONE who has been involved in helping or donating in anyway whatever. Without you it would not have happened but please remember the appeal goes on.
City as a Club have always been fan friendly. When we were taken over, there were those who thought here we go another rags or chelski etc. Well I’m here to tell you the heart of Man City is in great shape and if anything is going to get even more fan friendly especially with the unification of the Supporters Club. I am proud of my football club (how many can say that in this day and age) long may it continue thank you Sheikh Mansour.
On 28th July a container was loaded with the bus and six pallets of kit, training gear, laptops, books, a kids bike a scooter and a partridge in a pear tree (well maybe not the last one) Alex and Howard were there to lend a hand and Neil was there to film the container being loaded. The long journey began on the 29th July with the container off to Felixstowe where it will be loaded aboard the ship bound for Freetown and is due to arrive on 26th August. We, that is Tony, Alex, Howard, Paul, Neil and myself will be leaving on 25th August for Freetown to meet the ship the following day - here’s hoping it’s on time (everything is crossed).
There is a very busy itinerary whilst we are there Armani has contacted the Minister for Sport and various media outlets that want the story. We will be going to various schools and we will be attending a football game of MCFC Sierra Leone. On the Saturday we will be handing out training gear and kit to the teams at our hotel and on the Sunday it will be the official handover of the bus outside the National Stadium.
So it’s all go from here guys - I reckon we may add just a little water to the docks on the 26th - can't see there being a dry eye so to speak
Thanks again for all your support - and please remember we are still collecting.
Phil Holme
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