The Sports Journalists’ Association of The Gambia (SJAG) has presented a full set of brand new football jerseys, shocks, and a football to Real de Banjul, who won the association’s ‘Best Team of the Year’ Award at the last National Sports Award and Gala Night organized by the SJAG.
The sports items were provided to the association by KitAid, a UK-based organization which collects and distributes football kits to beneficiaries around the world.
The presentation took place last Friday at the Asset Bantaba, the headquarters of Camp Africa, a local collaborator of KitAid in The Gambia and Senegal, where the camp runs a cross-cultural and education camping programme for students.
George Gomez, the KitAid representative in The Gambia and Senegal, introduced the organization and highlighted its operations around the world.
“It has now reached The Gambia and this is our first presentation,” he said.
Gomez expressed his admiration for SJAG’s award gala, describing it as getting bigger and better with each edition.
He used the ceremony to acknowledge the critical role of the sports journalists in the promotion and development of sports in the country, while encouraging them to keep up the good work.
He promised that KitAid will henceforth be providing such gesture to the Best Team Award winner.
Musa Sise, the president of SJAG, thank KitAid for recognizing the work of his association, which he vowed would continue to promote and preserve the achievements of the country’s sports legends, in addition to ensuring a robust daily coverage of sporting events.
“We may look young, but SJAG is full of very ambitious young people and dedicated in what they want to become. This association has a vision and mission, and that is to make sure that sport is represented, not only football, but sport in general even though people may say or see it as kind of bias, in the sense that football is the most popular and the most attractive.”
Real de Banjul second vice president Bakary K Jammeh received the items, and thanked the SJAG and KitAid for the donation, noting that it will go a long way in boosting the morale of the players and the club.
According to him, the vision, mission, and philosophy of SJAG and Camp Africa are synonymous with the philosophy of Real de Banjul Football Club.
“We use the club as vehicle for national development, and football has that capacity. I have seen football transforming many lives, and this is what Real de Banjul is doing. We are among the few football clubs that have a youth team, and this jersey will be going to the youth team.”
Momodou Dimbalane, a Camp Africa coordinator and manager at Asset Bantaba, chaired the ceremony, while Lamin Cham, a member of the SJAG, gave the vote of thanks.
Also present at the presentation ceremony were SJAG’s 2nd vice president Uthman Jeng, assistant secretary general Alieu Ceesay, and executive member Momodou Bah.
