A Newcastle United fan’s initiative in Zambia, which began by supporting a struggling local football team, has expanded significantly, now kitting out hundreds of schoolchildren and contributing to a major community development project funded by FIFA.
Crispin Mason-Jones, from north-east England, first connected with the Mfuwe Mags football club in rural Zambia in 2022 when it was on the verge of financial collapse. Four years later, the team is now chasing promotion to Division One East, the third tier of Zambian football, with a senior squad of 25 players, all supplied with Newcastle United shirts and boots.
Newcastle United Fans Support Zambian Football
Crispin Mason-Jones learned about the Mfuwe Mags while his wife, Dr. Ellie Bond, was working in Zambia. The club, which helped young people in the Mfuwe community, was struggling to afford basic equipment and travel costs. Mason-Jones raised sponsorship, adopted the club, and helped provide funding and equipment, leading to the team becoming known as the Mfuwe Mags, proudly wearing Newcastle United kit, according to BBC News.
His involvement has since grown substantially. It now includes support for a women’s team, the Mfuwe Mags Queens, for whom Dr. Bond also provides wellbeing support using her medical expertise. Beyond the clubs, Mason-Jones collects unwanted football kit from non-league clubs across the North East of England and distributes it to hundreds of children in 25 schools around Mfuwe. Donating clubs have included Blyth Town, Wallsend Boys Club, Easington, Whickham, Gateshead Redheugh, Catterick Garrison, and Kingston Park, with help from charities such as Taking Football to Africa and Beyond and KitAid.
Meleki Chipo, a sports teacher in the area, highlighted the impact: “The kids are happy because the kit is so hard for us to find out here. Giving us such a donation will go a long way and give the kids motivation to perform very well.” He added that football helps children develop talents and avoid issues like drugs, early marriage, and teenage pregnancy, as reported by The Mag. Mason-Jones noted the kit’s significance: “Kit is a big thing here. It is a mark of prestige – and belonging and being part of a team and everything that brings with it, like community.”
FIFA Grant Boosts Sporting Opportunities in Mfuwe
Further strengthening the region’s sporting infrastructure, Ian Macallan, Chief Operating Officer of Project Luangwa and also a Newcastle fan from County Durham, secured a significant grant. In July, Project Luangwa was awarded a $150,000 grant from FIFA’s Global Citizen Education Fund to develop sporting opportunities in Mfuwe. This marks the first time Zambia has received a FIFA grant of this kind.
The funding is earmarked for providing new facilities, including a football pitch, as well as courts for tennis, basketball, and netball. Macallan explained the ambition is to offer children opportunities that are currently unavailable, helping them “learn through sport and take them away from some of the more difficult things we see in the bush, like teenage pregnancies, early marriage, alcohol abuse and poaching.” He emphasised that sport fosters confidence and leadership skills, particularly for girls, and helps bring the community together.