Bispham football club BJFF earns fans in Malawi

ddBJFF Under-13s have won a hugely appreciative new fan club ... in east Africa.Replica kit and fooballs generously donated by the club have been gratefully received by schoolchildren in the south-eastern state of Malawi.It’s part of a charity programme called African Vision Malawi, which underook a trip to Malawi this summer to distribute bibs, kit and footballs to 20 schools and eight pre-schools over an area of 150 square miles. One of the volunteers who made the journey was Sarah Parsloe, whose nephew Philip Lancaster plays for the Under-13 Warriors at BJFF, the thriving Bispham junior club based at Gala Field.Sarah, who works for Blackpool and the Fylde College, told AllStars: “All the schools we visited received equipment from their partner school and a football from BJFF, and it was these balls which received the loudest cheer.”The children they visited have previously played with their own style of footballs known as mpira, which are made from tightly-wrapped plastic bags.Sarah added: “We brought one of these balls back for the Warriors team and it makes them realise how lucky they are.”She hopes her nephew Philip, who attends Millfield School, will be able to make a trip to Malawi himself next year as an ambassador. Sarah said: “It’s developed into a football partnership between the BJFF club and the children of Malawi. We hope to take out more items to distribute next year and are trying to raise funds to cover the costs of shipping.”