Blog

A key part of Alive and Kicking’s strategy is to ensure young people with visual impairments have the opportunity to participate in sport more regularly. Thanks to support from the Ulverscroft Foundation, AK Kenya have been able to produce and then distribute bell balls across schools and community organisations that specialise in supporting students with visual impairments. Feedback from bell ball users show a significant boost in personal wellbeing with students increasing their average weekly play time by over four times. 82% say they have been more social thanks to playing football in the community, 54% have made new friends and almost all users said they felt more confident as a result of regular play. Check out the video below to find out more. : 44

We are delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with This Is FC88 that will help drive sustainability in the world of football. Together we have developed a premium selection of footballs made entirely from outdated and damaged football jerseys. These unique footballs are handmade by our skilled teams across Alive and Kicking Kenya and Alive and Kicking Zambia. Thanks to our production expertise, the team have been able to test new techniques in order to find an effective way of creating a beautifully finished ball. Working closely with football clubs across Europe and the UK, FC88 has set a new standard for sustainability within the industry. Collaborations with prominent entities like Tottenham Hotspur, the Dutch football federation, and Club Brugge have brought environmental consciousness to the forefront of the football world. The company operates dedicated upcycling studios in the UK, the Netherlands, and Portugal, ensuring a local and eco-friendly approach to the process. “We believe in the power of sport to create positive change, and this collaboration with Alive and Kicking exemplifies our commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. These premium upcycled footballs are more than just products; they represent a shared vision of making the world a better place through football. We are incredibly excited that we have managed to design and produce footballs from outdated apparel. This will be the next step in the development and positive impact of our products,” said Nicole Bekkers, CEO of FC88. “Collaborating with FC88 has been an incredibly inspiring journey for Alive and Kicking. We’ve always believed in the power of sport to transform lives, and this partnership takes our mission to a whole new level. Together, we’re not only crafting footballs from old jerseys, but we’re also crafting opportunities, and a brighter future for the communities we work with. FC88’s commitment to sustainability aligns perfectly with our mission to create positive social change through the manufacturing of footballs”, said Ben Sadler of Alive and Kicking. For more information on this groundbreaking collaboration and to explore the unique opportunities for your football club or federation, please contact FC88 via nicole@thisisFC88.com or 0031 610 255503. : 32

Build a thriving community of long term AK supporters that engage in our work, campaigns and activities while championing our mission, vision and values. The Role The growth and sustainability of AK is driven by its supporter community. From individuals providing regular financial donations or volunteer time to partner organisations taking part in our events or setting up their own football marathons, our network is key in strengthening our impact. The Community Manager will focus on building our supporter network both digitally and in person. This will focus on growing an innovative calendar of campaigns and events while expanding our network of regular givers and AKFC fans (our fictious football team). In doing so, the successful candidate will help AK to create more ethical jobs and give more young people access to sport and health education. How to Apply Please read the Community Manager Job Pack and send your CV and a covering letter (no more than two pages long, addressing how you meet each point on the Person Specification) by email to applications@aliveandkicking.org by 5.00pm Friday 9th June 2023. Interviews are planned for the 15th and 16th June. AK is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability or age. Job Pack Download : 26

At the Alive and Kicking workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, Joel, Francis, and Collins work keenly. When you walk in it looks like a library. Then as Francis explains their creative process and takes you around the Printing Department you realise that these are not books, it is a library of screen printing frames collected since 2005 when Alive and Kicking started producing balls. These three talented individuals were part of the creative process that screen printed 32 beautiful footballs, designed by 32 creatives from 32 countries that qualified for the 2022 World Cup.  The Bola World Cup Project was an artistic project commissioned by Costa Rica based Pupila in partnership with Alive and Kicking. It was a global design project inspired by and for the beautiful game of football with each one hand-crafted by Alive and Kicking in Kenya. Francis, Collins and Joel took up the challenging task of transferring the artistic designs onto panels to create a football that looked exactly as had been designed. They describe a delicate process of transferring the artworks onto screens and mixing dye colours to achieve the correct colour toning for the balls. “We had to generate several samples until the client gave an approval and go ahead.” According to Francis the most difficult design was Canada, however, after several samples the team were able to get it right and the client was happy. For Collins “The creativity of these designs was on another level, they were intricate, delicate and required exceptional attention and keenness. I felt so proud and content to look at the balls when we were done.” After printing, the balls were hand-stitched. The Alive and Kicking Kenya production notions “Participating in the making the World Cup designer balls made us feel connected to the rest of the world and the 2022 World Cup. We were proud that our craftsmanship was recognized on a global platform..” You can purchase the beautiful hand-stitched footballs here Costa Rica Ball Stitching Ghana Ball Printing Ghana Ball Printing       : 22