Falkirk Provost helps young African footballers to enjoy the beautiful game

Councillor Nicol and Provost Buchanan, pictured above with fellow elected members Robert Bissett, Allyson Black, Jim Blackwood and Pat Reid, secured the 50 new football strips and 50 new footballs to ship out to the country in southern Africa after a visiting delegation told them about the difficulty in keeping young Namibians involved in football. Provost Buchanan said: “I was delighted to help when I heard about the players’ plight. As a former professional player myself I know how football can help transform lives.” The large, arid Namib Desert has resulted in Namibia being one of the least densely populated countries in the world. Football is the most popular sport in Namibia and the national football team qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations back in 2008. Like Scotland, it has failed to qualify for any World Cups so far in this century so hopefully the equipment will help encourage some future star players.