AmaZulu partners with CAFC September 5, 2009 Many of our readers will be familiar with the club Charlton Athletic as it was the club with which ex Bafana players Shaun Bartlett and Mark Fish made their mark in the English Premier League. We place the focus on the community development programme spearheaded by AmaZulu FC and the Charlton Athletic Community Trust.

Background

In January 2008, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office requested that CACT replicated their successful programme from Alexandra and Cape Town into Durban. This was agreed and in February 2009, CACT travelled to Durban to launch the third part of the nine year project.

The programme is sponsored by The Birtish Council in partnership with AmaZulu FC, Ethekwini Municipality, Department of Education, British Airways, the Metropolitan Police and the SAPS.

This initiative is located in KwaMashu township located just 25km north-west of Durban. Amazulu FC and CACT deliver a Football in the Community programme with the newly qualified coaches.

Key aims of the programme include:

- Build community confidence in the SAPS, particularly among young people

- Develop community safety partnerships that will reduce crime and harness the power of sport

- Improve international community relations with the UK by working directly with disenfranchised communities

- Raise the profile of these communities

- Enable the young people within these communities to benefit from the opportunities that the 2010 World Cup might offer including training, employment and improved economic status

- Develop a community engagement strategy with Amazulu FC who will manage and coordinate the programme at a local level in the long term

- Raise the profile of the work of British Airways in the community

- Early results from the initial delivery week include: 16 schools involved in the programme from the INK (Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu townships in Durban) area eight primary and eight secondary

- Around 1,500 children and young people participated in the programme

- 24 local adults trained and gained the FA Level 1 football coaching qualification

- A Football in the Community structure was developed to enable football to successfully contribute to a Safer Schools

Safer Neighbourhood programme

Empowerment of the SAPS and community partners to deliver and create future projects for INK communities
What do we plan to do in the future?

Amazulu FC is intending to set-up a Football in the Community Programme and drive the concept forward in partnership with key stakeholders. Meanwhile the UK team plans a national roll-out after the World Cup which will be through 1,300 police stations and use the 14 Premier League clubs.