Stories of Hope Part 3: Kick4Life F.C. (Lesotho)

The Lesotho Premier League is usually dominated by Bantu FC from Mafeteng and Matlama FC from the capital city of Maseru. In the current Lesotho Premier League however is there is one club that is currently breaking the mold of how clubs are run and the impact they can have on society in general. That club is Kick4Life F.C., which was only founded in 2005 and it is a club that is completely different from the modern day conventional professional football team.

Kick4Life is the world's first football club extensively dedicated to social change. It is registered as a charity in Lesotho, the UK, and the USA. Its aim is to utilize the power of football to change young people's lives for the better. The club in Lesotho uses football as a tool to promote health education and awareness.

Kick4Life F.C. was founded by Steve Fleming and Pete Fleming, two brothers from Southampton after having successfully dribbling a football for 250 miles across Malawi.

Some of the major social enterprises include the Kick4Life Centre, which includes a restaurant, hotel, and conference centre. This enterprise generates income for the delivery of the charity's programs, structured training, and employment opportunities for young people.

The Kick4Life F.C. players training

The charity's main program includes the Kick4Life Academy which provide vulnerable children and young people with intensive academic support, football coaching, and character development with the aim of making sure vulnerable kids attend university. Another notable program includes the Community Programmes, which gives extensive education on health, education, life-skills development, gender, and employability. The organization also provides the Kick4Life Assist program dedicated to using social enterprise activities around the world.

The impact of the organization is wide ranging with over 100,000 young people taking part in their education initiatives, over 500 young teenagers moving onto long term education, training, or employment, and over 25,000 children have been tested for HIV with those that tested positive getting treatment and consulting.

Kick4Life F.C. is also the first top flight club to commit to gender equal budgets with its women's and men's team.

Kick4Life is clearly not like any other club on the planet with such a large focus toward social initiatives. Unlike other clubs where business often matters more than the direct community impact, Kick4Life is about building an organization that is much bigger than just football and at the same time is using the game of football for the betterment of society.

This club is extremely innovative and is another sign of hope for the global footballing community to rally around.

For more information go to https://www.kick4life.org/