Ten Reasons To Get Behind The East Africa Cup

The East Africa Cup is a sporting, cultural and educational gathering held annually in Moshi, Tanzania. This June (2013) the EAC will be celebrating its 10th birthday. We are looking for sponsors for the event, so we thought it was a good time to tell you about some of the reasons why we think you should get behind the East Africa Cup.


1) Girls' Sport
Some people think that girls shouldn’t do sport. We believe the opposite. We think that it can improve the health, well being and confidence of girls. We also think that when boys and men realise that women can do sport, they can take them seriously in other arenas too. 

2) Cultural Exchange
For the majority of the young participants, it’s their first experience of foreign travel. In itself this can be a great experience, especially as in some of the countries and regions in East Africa there is a history of conflict. For some youngsters, it's their first time outside of their city. People get to learn each other's songs and dances during the cultural programme, and interfaith dialogue is promoted throughout. People make friends and work together with people from other countries.

3) Education

In some countries, football players don't bother with school. But each morning of the East Africa Cup starts with classes in topics like conflict resolution, leadership skills and first aid. Teachers, coaches and leaders also attend masterclasses, and return to their communities with new skills.

4) Impact

The East Africa Cup has changed many lives. One teenager at the event, who was born with HIV, explained how the Kicking Aids Out seminars affected him: "The level of naivety regarding HIV/AIDS amongst youths in my community is incredibly high. This puts the young people of my area in a very high-risk category. The information they require in most cases is not available through school or from their parents, and many young people rely on the excuse that the system has failed them; I would like to EMPOWER young people, my peers, to realise that it is both their right and responsibility to be informed about HIV and AIDS. The inspiration of [the] East Africa Cup has lead me to want to help transform youths through sports." 

5) Health Benefits

This isn't about producing elite athletes, but of course all that running around is healthy. And through seminars in topics like first aid and AIDS prevention, young people go back to their communities with a healthier attitude. 

6) Youth Leaders

The main aim of the East Africa Cup has always been to 'empower youth through sport'. Practically this means giving them the chance to become leaders - both today and tomorrow. We don't just mean leaders on the pitch: participants have gone on to coach younger teams, organise environmental tidy up groups in their own community, and become youth leaders themselves after their time at the East Africa Cup.

7) Volunteerism
The EAC is powered by volunteers, most of them from East Africa itself, although we do appreciate our foreign guests who come to share the experience. If you feel like you have something to give, get in touch.

8) Referees

OK, not everybody likes referees. But we do need them. At the EAC, we plan to train 50 of them. We're particularly proud of one ex- EAC ref who went on to become the first female Kenyan Premier League referee, and CAAF commissioner - the person in charge of international football matches. We think she's a great role model. Hear her speak: http://eastafricacup2009.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/eac-on-bbc-world-service.html

9) Famous Fans

Maybe you don't believe us? high profile supporters like South Sudanese rapper Emannual Jal, Celtic footballer Victor Wanyama and former world champion athlete Wilson Kipketer all support the East Africa Cup:  http://eastafricacup2009.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/excellent-tournament-victor-wanyama.html

10) It's Fun

People enjoy the East Africa Cup - the dancing, the video-making, the football, the street theatre. Is that a good enough reason to get involved?

Are you interested in supporting the East Africa Cup? We are looking for East African sports teams with a year-round commitment to their community, sponsors, volunteers, spectators, and journalists. Please get in touch: eastafricacup@me.com

Have you been to the East Africa Cup? Tell us why people should support it on the Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/eastafricacup

Fair Play And Feminism

With International Women's Day upon us, it's not time to be talking about football, right? Football is played by men and watched by men, I mean how many famous female players can you name? And IWD is all about serious topics like gender violence, and not about fun things like sport.

Not my opinion but I'm sure some people think that way.

In fact at the East Africa Cup in 2010, I got a strong reminder of how sport can influence the way girls and women are viewed and how it can work as a tool to challenge gender stereotypes.

The head of referees at the EAC, who is also the first female Kenyan Premier League referee, was being interviewed on the BBC World Service flagship programme The World Today*.

She talked about how sending men off in local matches was initially scary because of threats of violence, and how people in her community respected her after seeing her successful career. It was during the 2010 World Cup, and she was talking about attitudes to women, domestic violence, and expectations of gender roles to an audience of millions. It was a conversation that was happening because of football.

The EAC isn't just about the high profile success stories though: it's a tournament for people using grassroots sport in their community throughout the year. Half of youth participants are girls. They play football at the event, attend workshops, meet people from other countries… importantly they participate visibly in community activity.

Some go on to become referees, community leaders, first aiders or sports medicine practitioners. Others participate in media skills workshops and learn things which can help them in their careers. For others the EAC is a reward for working hard at school throughout the year: putting on a kit and playing in a team will not lead to a job, it's a chance to get fit and be part of a team.

All of which can have an important effect on how women and girls see themselves and how they are perceived in their community.

Listen below to the interview with Maqulate Onyango - head of the referees at the East African Cup.

* the global audience for the World Service is around 180 million