Following a recent meeting with founder Nick Gates, we are pleased to announce a new charity partnership with Coaches Across Continents. Both parties have agreed to use kick4change’s boot libraries to benefit children as part of Coaches Across Continents work in Africa. Coaches Across Continents deservedly won the ‘Best New Project’ award at the inaugral Beyond Sport award evening in July 2009.

Coaches across Continents was launched in June 2008. Based on first –hand research in 65 countries in the past 7 years, Coaches across Continents developed a unique face-to face and on-line educational curriculum that uses soccer games to educate teachers/volunteers and children on health, leadership, life and social skills. Its projects are called ‘Hat-Trick Initiatives’ and take place over three years.

In year 1, local teachers and volunteers are trained by international coaches within their own communities to use the Coaches across Continents curriculum. This training is further developed each year for three consecutive years. In year 2, one coach from a local community is funded to travel and work in the UK or USA to gain cultural, social and soccer education to take back with them and inform their subsequent work within their own community. In year 3, fields and equipment plus school supplies are provided, so that local programmes become self sustainable by the local community. On-going and year-round mentoring utilising Coaches across Continents unique on-line curriculum ensures that all communities involved have support both throughout the Hat-Trick Initiative and in the years to follow, thus facilitating sustainability.

We look forward to building on our partnership in the coming months.