Confessions of a football Chaplain
By Mark Fleming, 2021 (p.272, Kindle Edition)
During the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Rwandan team was hosted by East Lothian Council. Great relationships were formed between their respective leaders. The Council was keen to continue their relationship with their new Rwandan friends. One of the suggestions put forward was for a group of coaches from Tranent Colts Community Football Club to visit Rwanda. It was just a case of finding someone who led groups to the country and had good football contacts. I wonder who that could be?
In June 2016, I took nine coaches from Tranent to Rwanda. I also brought two coaches from the Scottish FA – Sean McCauley and Alan White (commonly known as Chalky). Sean is also a coach at Bonnyrigg Rose, and Chalky is Hearts’ Head of Community. One of our chaplains, Kiki, then at Fort William, also came on the trip with his son Donald. The group were awestruck at how Rwanda has recovered from the terrible genocide of 1994. They were astounded at the countless stories they heard from Rwandan people who had been enabled by God to forgive the killers who had murdered their families. All the coaches commented that if they could embrace such incredible reconciliation in Rwanda, surely we could defeat sectarianism in Scotland. The Rwandan people we met were equally blown away by the sacrificial kindness of the football coaches. The group enjoyed working with local churches that were engaged in projects to give food and shelter to homeless children. Jacques organised for over twenty local youth football team coaches to come together to learn how the Tranent coaches ran a community football club with volunteers and limited resources – something to which the Rwandans could aspire.
Chalky and Sean explained about the coach education pathway in Scotland, and began to explore the possibility of delivering a similar programme in Rwanda on a future trip. The Scottish FA had given me a substantial amount of training kit, which we were able to distribute to the Rwandan coaches. Tranent Colts had also brought surplus kit and football boots, which were given to the numerous children they coached. The highlight of the trip for the Scots was delivering coaching to the children from the supported needs school, next door to our Guest House. I was so impressed at how the Scottish coaches adapted to the local culture. For example, one of the main lessons learned in Rwanda was summed up by the most quoted phrase on the trip, “Guys, there’s been a change of plan…” Let’s just say that we had to be very flexible in the timing and make-up of the activities we planned.
Such was the impact of the visit to Rwanda on the Scottish group, in February 2020, Heart of Midlothian helped facilitate Chalky and I to organise another trip. Phil, Mike and Allan from Tranent came back to Rwanda with us, and were joined by coaches from Bonnyrigg Rose, Spartans, Penicuik Athletic, Murieston United and Ormiston. Chalky also brought fellow Scottish FA coach, Jack Beesley, who also plays for Broxburn Athletic. Chalky and Jack agreed to provide coach education for a maximum of 30 and a minimum of 16 local football coaches, through my friend Jacques Kayisire. Even up until the week before we arrived in Rwanda, we were concerned that Jacques was not going to be able to gather enough coaches to make the course viable. We need not have worried – 56 turned up! And not just from Rwanda. Interpreters were needed for those who had arrived from DR Congo, Uganda and Kenya. Chalky and Jack were concerned that everyone had been able to understand what they were teaching. However, on the final day when the African coaches had to deliver coaching sessions based on what they had learned, the Scottish educators were amazed at the quality on display from their students.
The rest of the Scottish group gave their time in coaching children from many different youth teams, and of course, the children from the supported needs school next door to our Guest House. They also brought over invaluable football equipment to help support the Rwandan youth coaches. We flew with Turkish Airlines and they kindly gifted us an extra 150 kg of luggage allowance on top of the 40kg each that we already had – and we needed it! The group donated full sets of football kit to 10 different youth teams. They brought a variety of football equipment and an abundance of toiletries and clothing – items that we would probably take for granted in Scotland.
Yet, most of the group felt that Rwanda had more of a positive effect on them than they had on Rwanda. The friendly welcome, appreciation, love, and kindness they received from the Rwandans has left every one of them wanting to go back again. It was such a great example of how churches and football clubs can work together to make a positive difference in their local communities. Since then, a charity, “Scottish Football for Rwanda” has been formed with a view to developing coaching connections and charitable work and it is my privilege to be chairman of this group. If we can do something like this in Rwanda, there is no reason why we cannot develop working together in Scotland.