Ten Young Leaders from RV United, Khayelitsha’s first all-girls football team, gathered at Clifton Beach to meet Lescott and have their photo with the Premier League Trophy.
Lescott and the Young Leaders discussed the importance of creating opportunities for young people to play football, and reflected on leadership, role models and resilience, before enjoying a game of football on the sand and learning some new skills.
Cityzens Giving has had a presence in Cape Town since 2016, combining funding for youth-led community football, in-person and digital training from City’s community coaches, and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for Young Leaders to attend the Global Young Leaders Summit in Manchester.
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Since 2021, the Cape Town project has been part of Xylem Water Heroes Academy, a global initiative in partnership with Official Water Technology Partner Xylem, to empower young leaders in ten cities to tackle water challenges in their communities through football.
Led by Young Leader Atipila, the Cape Town Water Heroes are using the power of football to educate 500 young females in schools across Khayelitsha on water issues and hygiene.
Reflecting on the experience, Joleon Lescott said: “It’s a great experience for me. I met Linda in Manchester a few months ago and she was describing what she does and talked about the girls and women she works with. And now to see and meet some of them is nice. There are some talents there! It’s very good to see. To hear their stories and some of their challenges regarding access to clean water is very humbling.”
Linda Mbali, a Young Leader from RV United, said: “We at RV United are honoured to be part of this experience of a lifetime. To be part of the event felt like living a dream, not only for me but for every up-and-coming footballer. Football has the power to unite people of different ages, gender, race, class, and being able to share our extraordinary work with Joleon was very special.”
As part of the visit, Young Leaders will also attend the screening of City’s fixture against Liverpool on Sunday where we look forward to welcoming 900 fans to Central Park in Cape Town.
