Darfur United Soccer Academy Expanding with Beyond Sport Support

Darfur United Soccer Academy, winner of the Sport for Social Inclusion Award, supported by Barclays in the 2014 Beyond Sport Awards have provided us with an amazing story of their expansion on the back of winning their Beyond Sport Award.

Through an all-refugee soccer team and a children and youth soccer academy, Darfur United is a movement to bring hope, inspiration, and joy to the displaced people of Darfur.

This is there story of expansion.

Author – Sara-Christine Dallain, i-ACT, Director or Programs

It’s been just over a year since i-ACT Executive Director Gabriel Stauring, Darfur United Coach Ambassador Rachael Rapinoe, and I were in refugee camp Djabal implementing the first Darfur United Soccer Academy (DUSA). We're so excited to collaborate again with Rachael for i-ACT's 20th trip to the region and, with support from Beyond Sport, our second Academy. Her role as Coach Ambassador has been critical for the development of DUSA, and this time around she is leading the implementation of DUSA in refugee camp Touloum, a refugee camp further north along the border of Chad and Sudan.

Coach Rachael is implementing the Kicks and Hope Curriculum #1, a guide used for the initial training of refugee men and women DUSA coach candidates, and for the implementation of the DUSA in any refugee camp. This curriculum provides coaches with an overview of the Academy, including objectives, philosophy, coaching methodology, and tools to implement the academy for the children. It includes lots of diagrams and instructions for engaging, skill-based drills and games that even a coach with low literacy can use. Each warm-up activity, drill, and game is rooted in teaching and developing soccer skills, but also builds and supports the social-emotional development of the children.

Words from Coach Rachael: “It never ceases to amaze me how universal football truly is. Everyone knows the game, it’s beloved in almost every country on this earth, and the majority of the people in the world want to play it. Being able to coach in this game is truly an honor, especially to those who need the inspiration.”

Darfuri women are not typically encouraged to play football in their culture. They’re allowed to play hand ball or volleyball. Darfuri women are also not encouraged to be coaches, especially football coaches. We’re pretty much defying a lot of odds out here in eastern Chad by not only encouraging women to play football alongside the men, but also training them to be women football coaches. Not only am I loving every second of the DUSA Coaches Training, but the women are too.

These next couple of days, I will train and observe the leadership skills required to make DUSA Touloum successful. Our candidates are incredible men and women who have all endured more in their lifetime than imaginable, but we can only pick four. It is going to be a tough decision, as I’m confident they’re all qualified and eager to become a DUSA Coach and be role models for the thousands of children we hope to reach with movement for hope.

Please join us in making DUSA Touloum successful. A $10 Kicks and Hope donation gives one refugee girl or boy the opportunity to play, move, and heal for an entire year at the Academy.

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