Lilli Pilli Shirts Arrive in Du Noon, South Africa
A donation, by children, for children
Thank You Desmond Tutu
LILLI PILLI, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 16th OCTOBER, 2007:
This time last year, the Lilli Pilli Football Club Committee in southern Sydney was assessing the possibility of updating its playing strip.
The club conceived the idea of sharing its spirit with children who were less fortunate.
Thanks to Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the proud donations of over 700 children together with the help of many sponsors and supporters,
Lilli Pilli FC has now established an important bond with the children of Du Noon South Africa.
The LPFC Committee decided that there could be no better place to send the shirts to,
than the young soccer fans of South Africa particularly with the next FIFA World Cup to be played in South Africa in 2010.
Following an overwhelming response, LPFC players, committee, families and Pearl Sports gladly donated over 700 playing shirts,
including referee, coach, committee and goalkeeping shirts, balls, pumps and associated equipment.
As luck would have it, one of the Lilli Pilli FC parents Megan Barnes has had an association with the
Archbishop Desmond Tutu for some years and made contact with the Archbishop to see where the shirts could be put to best use in South Africa.
In a wonderful co-incidence the Archbishop is often approached by locals seeking football equipment.
The disadvantaged children in this unbelievably impoverished area dream of playing football for their country and to date
had been doing so with no equipment and on many occasions only a tennis ball.
So the plan was set and Kym Powell, Managing Director of Jet Worldwide International Express,
and a Lilli Pilli FC parent, gladly arranged to handle the freight arrangements for the shirts and equipment door to door, free of charge.
And so on Saturday, the 13th October, 2007, as reported in the Sunday Argus newspaper of South Africa:-
'Hundreds of smiling faces greeted Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah as they arrived at a
school in Du Noon, a small town in the Cape Town are of South Africa.
They distributed more than 700 soccer shirts to aspiring players yesterday.'
The Archbishop said yesterday, 'It is an absolute honour for me to be handing over these jerseys on their behalf.
They are wonderful people, and although they dont know these youngsters, they have a strong connection with them.'
When asked why the children of Du Noon were chosen as the lucky beneficiaries,
Tutu said: 'Their leaders are always at my office in Milnerton, either asking for help or highlighting the plight of these youngsters.'
Tex Dludla, of the Du Noon Sports Club, said they appreciated the donation and promised to make the Lilli Pilli club proud.
'Every time we jog on to the soccer field in our kit, Lilli Pilli will be in our thoughts,' said Dludla.
'They are a part of us now.' Richard Sirayi, chairman of the sports club, said the donation would raise the spirits of the young soccer players.
'We could see the excitement on their faces when we first told them they would receive new soccer shirts,' said Sirayi.
'These youngsters have a lot of potential, but we have no facilities and equipment.'
'We appreciate this token of support, which has come all the way from Australia, but continue to plead with our own government for support in this area.
Our fields are uneven and filled with sand; there is no way we can play a proper soccer match on them.'
Now it will be even more exciting when Lilli Pilli FC players run out onto the fields next season,
as they will know that somewhere in Du Noon, South Africa, there will also be children playing football dressed in their green and gold stripes,
each with a special place in their hearts for the players and families of Lilli Pilli FC!
CREDIT : Pictures courtesy of Weekend Argus, Cape Town