Ian Stapleton, founder of Football Gambia, talks about how a trip of a lifetime became the catalyst for a remarkable organisation that uses football as the route to community development

When IT professional, Ian Stapleton, decided to take a 10 day holiday to the Gambia in 2009, he had no idea how much the trip would change his life.

“As soon as I touched down, I had this feeling that I was at home,” he says. As he explored the country, met Gambians and learned about the culture, he ended up at a football match. Watching a team of about 10 or 11 people with no equipment or sports clothing playing football against a well-equipped team, he says, “really rocked me”. It was at that moment that he realised that he could do something.

Returning to the UK, Ian cut off his dreadlocks and set about raising money, setting up Football Gambia in June of that year and registering it with the UK Charity Commission in 2010. The charity has been behind a range of projects, from providing football kit through sponsorship by Umbro, to organised trips to the Gambia – 3 to date – for groups of professionals who work on community programmes.

The next trip is scheduled for January 2014 and will include 50 volunteers ready to share their expertise across a range of community activities including training, first aid and, of course, football.

Today, Football Gambia is a non-profit UK charity which promotes education through football in the Gambia. The organisation works with communities, football clubs academies and schools with a goal to help ensure that children and young people attend school and live a healthy lifestyle.

ReConnect Africa spoke to Ian Stapleton about the organisation and how it is tapping into the power of football to help create sustainable development in the Gambia.

ReConnect Africa:   What was the inspiration behind setting up Football Gambia?

Ian Stapleton:   My inspiration came after visiting The Gambia, Africa, for the first time in March 2009; it was a magical experience!

I watched a football match where there were women the same age as my mother jumping up and down in excitement. The main inspiration came from spending time with the Gambian youngsters; they all loved football, but more importantly they all wanted to progress. It was at that point when I decided to set up a charity to create opportunities for these young people.

ReConnect Africa:   If Football Gambia is about more than football, how does the sport tie in or lead into other activities?

Ian Stapleton:   Everyone, old and young, loves football and so it is the perfect vehicle to engage with the Gambian community. We always have football coaching and tournaments during all our projects because it is fun, but we surround it with self-sustainable initiatives like agriculture, education and health.

ReConnect Africa:   What are the key projects with which the organisation is involved?

Ian Stapleton:   Health, education, agriculture and sport – in no particular order! We are currently renovating a medical centre and providing light and electricity via a solar panel system.

We are building a nursery school in Cheesay (designed by BSc construction students at Reading University) and a vegetable garden with a borehole in Sittanunku - both villages are located in rural North Gambia. We also run different workshops like child protection, first aid, teacher training and of course football coaching!

ReConnect Africa:   What have been the key challenges that you have encountered in setting up and implementing your projects?

Ian Stapleton:   People changing their minds at the last minute and jealousy is a huge factor that has caused problems with virtually all of our projects.

The key challenges are always around people and communication, mainly with the Gambians. Even clear guidelines can be blurred - for example, the Gambians have their own concept of time and will happily do things at their own pace.

I come from a ‘time hungry’ country and managing expectations in both countries is a constant juggling act. This is a problem, especially when my sponsors want to see photographic evidence and I get them six months later!

ReConnect Africa:   What connects you to the Gambia?

Ian Stapleton:   I am originally from Africa. I truly know that now, although I’ve been saying it all my life. I was born in St. Albans, England, and my parents are from St. Vincent, but it was only until I went to The Gambia and spent time embracing the culture and the people that I finally know where I belong.

ReConnect Africa:   How do you see the organisation developing and how will you be measuring your success with Football Gambia?

Ian Stapleton:   At present, we do not pay anyone to work for Football Gambia, but from next year we will pay eight Gambians to manage our projects in The Gambia. This, in itself, is a huge achievement because we are now creating jobs and they are developing a full range of skills at the same time.

Each employee will be given a set of tasks on which they will have to report back every fortnight; once this has been done then they will get paid. I want to create a self-sustaining environment so our team in The Gambia do not have to rely on help from the UK. I also want to bring large groups of people from the UK to The Gambia, not only as a fundraiser, but for them to experience Africa first-hand and to see where their money is going.

ReConnect Africa:   What’s next on the horizon?

Ian Stapleton:   Chicken and bees!! I want to set up chicken coops and bee hives in specific rural villages across The Gambia. The chickens will provide meat and eggs and the bees will produce honey for neighbouring villages to create sustainable businesses.