(Pictured L-R) - Dave Furby (Head of Digital Media), Neil Coupe (Club President), Ebrima Jaiteh (White Croc representative) and Ady Dolan (Club Chair).
The blue and white stripes of Ashridge Park FC will soon be on show nearly 3000 miles away, as a major shipment of kit and boots headed off to Gambia this week.
A total of 75 kits (shirts, shorts and socks) and 80 pairs of boots left St. Crispin’s on Friday, and began the long journey by sea to Kartong, home of White Croc United, Ashridge Park’s sister club in Africa.
White Croc United were formed in 2017, and after an initial meeting between Ashridge Chair Ady Dolan and White Croc co-founder Amadou Jammeh, it was clear that the two clubs shared common values. As Ady explains “For thirty years, Ashridge Park has provided a safe, inclusive, and happy setting for children to play football together in Wokingham. But really, football is only a small piece of the jigsaw. Our priority is to develop our young people, so that they recognise the importance of respect, determination, teamwork, and trying your best in everything you do”.
“It was clear during initial conversations with Amadou that White Croc is dedicated to the same core values, but doesn’t have access to the resources that we’re fortunate to enjoy. We are therefore determined to support Amadou and the players and coaches at White Croc, by not only supplying these kit shipments, but also through the development of networks between our respective teams”.
White Croc United continue to grow, and Amadou Jammeh is optimistic about the impact that his organisation is having on the local young people in Kartong. “We believe that football is more than just a game, it is something that can bring people together and teach them important values that can be taken into everyday life.”
“The arrival of new kit will be a huge boost for our young players, and we will look forward to wearing it with pride during our matches and training sessions”.