Dumbarton FC, a Scottish championship side, have boosted Blue Star FC, a second division side, and Soto Bi FC, a local nawetan team, with each a set of jerseys.
The donation, made through Faye Suso, a Gambian and native of Wellingara residing in Dumbarton, Scotland, was presented to the two teams on 26 July 2015 at the Wellingara football ground during a friendly match between the two beneficiaries.
In presenting the jerseys to the clubs, Suso said he was pleased to be associated with the gesture.
A keen supporter and follower of Dumbarton FC, Mr Suso had also brought sets of jerseys for other teams.
Bringing jerseys again for the two teams is his personal contribution to his society, he said, whilst thanking Simon Barrow, Tim Reed, Allen Finley, and the Sun Trust supporters club for making the donation realised.
They hope the gesture would be an opportunity to further strengthen the relationship between the beneficiaries and Dumbarton FC, he said.
He encouraged both clubs to continue to work hard to develop football as it is of community, sport, and young people.
They chose to donate to the two community clubs because football starts from the grassroots.
The two teams have every potential to grow and produce players for the national teams, hence they should be encouraged and supported, Mr Suso pointed out.
Yunusa Badjie, head coach of Blue Star FC, thanked the donors and Mr Suso for the gesture, saying he was really pleased when the received a phone call informing him of the development.
Carrick, as he is widely referred to, said Blue Star FC need both financial and material support.
“The team is doing well on the pitch but support is lacking,” he went on, saying their players play without pay (salary), match bonuses, transport refunds, lack of enough jerseys, balls, corns, beeps, among others.
“We over-manage with the little we have,” he stated, saying if they have a good sponsor the team would produce national players that would raise the nation flag high.
The jerseys will boost the team, especially during the league season, to avoid colour clash with other clubs during matches, he also said.
Blue Star FC, who are competing in the Serrekunda East nawetan, produced 3 players for the previous under-17 team (before the Gambia was suspended for 2 years by CAF), as well as players playing for top first division clubs.
The club have also produced the two best players in the Serrekunda East zone over the past two years, and played two finals winning one of them.
Soto Bi FC’s captain Sheikh Njie said the gesture was “highly appreciated and laudable”, adding that they had been trying to get donations in the past but it was difficult to secure one.
The jerseys would go a long way in strengthening the weaknesses they had in terms of kits, as well as help motivate the players, he added.
Skipper Njie said they would sit with their management and work hand-in-hand with Dumbarton FC in changing the name of Soto Bi FC to Dumbarton FC in the near future.
They are a community-based team and do not have much funds to buy jerseys since they are expensive, but “the donation will really help” in their preparation for the forthcoming nawetan, he said.
Ebrima Jagne, secretary general of Blue Star FC, said they have been doing very well over the past 3 years both in the nawetan and second division league but their main challenge has been lack of sponsor.
“We need help and support,” he added.
About Dumbarton FC
Dumbarton Football Club is Scotland’s 4th oldest football club. It was founded in 1872, just after Queen’s Park (1867), Kilmarnock (1869) and Stranraer (1870).
They hail from the town of Dumbarton in West Dunbartonshire and play their home games at the Dumbarton Football Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as: The Cheaper Insurance Direct Stadium, which is situated next to Dumbarton Castle.
The club were one of the most successful clubs in the nineteenth century, winning the Scottish Football League in the first two seasons of the competition.
Since then the club have spent the most of their history outside the top flight, and last played at the top level in 1985, thus being the only existing Scottish league champions never to have competed in the former breakaway Scottish Premier League.
The club are the only team to win at least one league title in each of the four tiers in the Scottish league system.
Stevie Aitken is currently the club’s manager, having been appointed on 27 May 2015.
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