South London stories: Meet Archie
Boot appeal helps local school children
Archie was one of the south London recipients of our boot appeal launched in December 2021 which called for supporters to donate football boots to those in the south London community that need them the most.
Palace for Life deliver numerous sport sessions in SE25 and beyond, giving young people access to football to keep them fit, healthy, help battle social isolation and to keep them off of the streets and away from crime and violence. These sessions include football for Afghan refugees who have been housed in Croydon and at these sessions it has come to our coach’s attention that many participants don’t have appropriate or safe footwear and some are attempting to play in flip flops or even barefoot.
This is unfortunately a worrying trend across many Palace for Life sessions, where often young people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds do not have and cannot afford the appropriate footwear and equipment to participate in football.
Archie attends St Mary Cray Academy School, and has been so grateful to receive his first pair of football boots.
Archie thanked Crystal Palace fans:
“I like my new boots because they give me better grip on the grass and I didn’t have football boots ever before. I would like to say thank you to the Crystal Palace fans for donating them to me”
His teacher said:
“The boot appeal has been an amazing for us because it’s given an opportunity for so many of the children who don’t have the boots or chance to buy them to take part. We’ve had matches where they’ve had to wear brother’s boots, who are maybe teenage brothers, and they’re only ten years old. To have the opportunity for them to play football the way it’s meant to be played is brilliant.”
Archie was Made In South London.
To help transform young south London lives like Archie’s, click here.