From Our Sport Correspondent
UK-based sports charity Lord’s Taverners has donated sports kits and equipment worth over ₦30 million to the Community Sport and Educational Development (CSED) Initiative in Nigeria.
The consignment, weighing 998 kilograms, marks the fifth donation from Lord’s Taverners to CSED since 2019, bringing the total donation to over 3,000 kilograms of sports gear.
The recently donated kits include equipment for cricket, netball, badminton, football, as well as casual sportswear and tracksuits. Key beneficiaries of previous donations include the Edo State Cricket Association, the cricket team of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, internally displaced persons (IDPs) at Uhogua, Cameroonian refugees in Ogoja, and selected schools in Delta, Edo, Akwa Ibom, and Taraba States.
In an email exchange, a representative of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) commended the significant role the donated kits have played in the development of several Nigerian cricketers. Notably, nine out of the 15 players on Nigeria’s female U-19 cricket team that competed in the T20 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia came from Edo State, whose cricket association received 250 kilograms of cricket kits from CSED Initiative in 2019. Two other players from Akwa Ibom State, who also participated in the tournament, benefited from similar donations.
Empowering Youths and Teachers
Speaking with reporters, a representative of CSED Initiative expressed optimism about the impact of the new batch of equipment.
According to the spokesperson, the donation will support 3,000 children and youths while enabling CSED to train 300 physical education teachers in 2025.
"This donation will create a win-win situation for grassroots sports," the spokesperson noted, emphasizing that it will empower vulnerable communities and promote sports development at the grassroots level.
End of an Era
However, the CSED Initiative revealed that Lord’s Taverners' sports kit recycling project will end in March 2025 due to financial constraints.
The news was described as a "huge shock" to the CSED Initiative and the global sports-for-change community. Despite its origins as a cricket charity, Lord’s Taverners has expanded its support to other sports and has been a major force in grassroots sports development worldwide.
“We in CSED Initiative will forever be grateful for the support from Lord’s Taverners, especially in the sport of netball. Their donations of balls, bibs, jerseys, T-shirts, and skirts have been invaluable,” said the National Coordinator of CSED Initiative.
The coordinator highlighted the charity’s impact on CSED’s “Project 2027”, an ongoing effort to revive netball in Nigeria. The initiative has already trained and equipped over 370 physical education teachers and community leaders.
While receiving the donated items at their Niger Delta base, the National Coordinator assured Dave Pemberton, Project Manager at Lord’s Taverners, that the equipment would be distributed free of charge to selected schools and vulnerable community groups, including IDPs and asylum seekers.
He emphasized that new beneficiary schools and communities would be selected and held accountable for using the kits effectively.
This donation is yet another testament to the power of collaboration in driving positive change in grassroots sports and community development.
