Newcastle fan supports Zambian footballers and community
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Crispin Mason-Jones, a fan of Newcastle United from north-east England, began supporting Mfuwe Mags, a football club in rural Zambia, after learning they struggled to afford equipment.
He initially provided shirts and funding to keep the club afloat, and the team adopted the name “Mfuwe Mags” in tribute.
Mason-Jones’ support has since expanded to include the Mfuwe Mags Queens, a women’s team, and he now sends used football kit collected from clubs in the North East of England to hundreds of schoolchildren across the Mfuwe area of Zambia. The donations of kit are highly valued in the community, where resources are limited and the equipment provides a sense of belonging and motivates children to excel.
Sports teacher Meleki Chipo explained the kit helps keep children away from negative influences like drugs and early marriage. Mason-Jones coordinates the collection, shipping, and sorting of the kit, describing the process as time-consuming but rewarding. The project has grown further with a $150,000 grant from FIFA’s Global Citizen Education Fund awarded to Project Luangwa, an organisation with ties to the North East of England, to build new sporting facilities in Mfuwe.
Ian Macallan, chief operating officer of Project Luangwa and a Newcastle fan himself, hopes the facilities will provide opportunities for children and develop skills like leadership and teamwork, especially among girls. The Mfuwe Mags are now aiming for promotion to Zambia’s third tier of football.
