2022 started as 2021 finished with a fantastic U12 football tournament organised by Wachisa and the senior coaches. Eight teams attended the festival at Jomba Jomba ground all dressed in their donated kits. Nyabinghe, Santos, Impala, Chitipa Hammers, Real Stars, Young Stars, White Movers and Sundowns took part in the fun. Parents and the local community watched on. An official photographer attended and we got some great team pictures and action shots. Community Leaders Africa will continue to support such fantastic events. The sponsors in the UK loved seeing the pictures. It has created a real feel good atmosphere.   

In March I saw a post about the 2022 MASSA 'Youth Games', a joint effort from education department and the National Sports Council. It was the U15 Divisional football final and the North East Education Division (NEED) had reached the final to play Central East. It reminded me of 1999 and the 1st ever MASSA secondary school select finals in Lilongwe that the North had won 2-0 against Central West in the final. Over 20 years later it was still an annual event. It made me very proud to have been involved at the very start of MASSA.  

March also saw Tony Mwanthunga from Charles Metal Workers a busy man. The cricket cage he had built back in 2018 was being turned into football goals. The cricket project left in Rowland's hands had withered and died. The cage had been badly used, stored and even missing stolen. The pieces left managed to make 2 sets of goals.  

At the start of April, the Chitipa District Sports Committee led by Chairman Albert Chihana, held a Presentation event for the winning teams during their football season. The donated Red Row Welfare kits were presented to U23 Champions Chitipa Hammers FC, U17 Champions Nyabinghe Warriors FC and a South Edinburgh CFC kit was given to the U14 Champions Young Stars FC. 

The old cricket cage was finally being reborn as new goal posts. Wachisa and the committee had chosen Isyalikira Primary School as the venue to fix it. It is a fairly central venue for a lot of clubs on that side of Kawale. There was a presentation ceremony with the Head Teacher and others. This was the first ever set of metal goal posts at the school and a big event seen as clear progress. Tony still had enough poles and was busy making one mini goal for Levison at the William Stewart Foundation in Ibuluma. 

During the first few months of 2022, I had asked for feedback from the 8 clubs involved in the U12 football project and the 14 primary schools. Wachisa and Florence had held meetings and reported back. The feeling was positive and I was encouraged by the responses. The kit and equipment was much appreciated. The support with sporting infrastructure such as goal posts and netball posts was seen as a real development. The Senior and Young Coaches were keen to learn more through more refereeing and coaching courses and Wachisa was keen to get Football Association of Malawi involved. In terms of Teacher Training I felt there was a reluctance to attend courses without allowances. I thought it was best to leave this to Florence and Rowland in the future. 

Community Sports Leaders Africa was now in a position to plan for 2022 and our proposed visit in August 2023. I started an official Kit/Equipment Recycling Initiative and got a story in the Northumberland Gazette. By April I already had offers of kit. I decided upon my Fund Raising Challenge for 2022. The number of runs scored in 16 cricket matches = the distance I would cycle in Kilometres in 5 days.    

The donated equipment and kit started to fill my garage. Josh Rutherford from Amble East End Juniors FC got in touch. The club had folded and I could have it all. He had remembered the picture I had sent him of one of his old kits in Chitipa. He said that it was sad the club had folded but he wanted it all to go to Africa. Heart warming stuff.  

James Kilembe at Chitipa Model is proving a legend in Kawale school sports. He has just organised a Cluster Softball Cricket Festival as promised. His cluster is made up of Chitipa Model, Lwambo, Lwakwa and Katatula. Chitipa Model came out winners of their cluster. 

By mid September we had a lot of kit packed and ready for Chitipa, Northern Malawi. It would get there via a Banana Box Trust container that would leave from Dundee.  I went up to Inch Park, Edinburgh to meet Paul Doig. He had a huge amount of kit for us. Again I filled my car to bursting. A local club named Alnwick Hill FC had folded and Community Sports Leaders Africa was the very lucky recipient of brand new kits, training tops and tracksuits. We had donations from Alnwick Juniors Rugby, Grant Watson at Alnwick Tennis Club, Longhoughton Rangers FC and Bugbrooke St. Michaels FC.  

The date was set to transport all the kit to Dundee. Two days before some final donations of kit came in from Alnwick Town Juniors FC. In the end we had 52 boxes and 7 bags of kit and equipment. My friend Nick Parker from Rock CC managed to get a van from his boss at GA Smith haulage near Alnwick. We drove north on Saturday 8th October to Dundee and met Alan Laverock. The first leg of the journey to Chitipa was over.