UK-based sports charity, Lord’s Taverners, has donated sports kits and equipment worth over ₦30 million to the Community Sport and Educational Development (CSED) Initiative in Nigeria.
The donation, weighing 998 kilogrammes, marks the fifth batch of donations from Lord’s Taverners to the CSED Initiative since 2019. In total, the charity has supplied over 3,000 kilogrammes of sports kits to the initiative.
The latest consignment includes cricket, netball, badminton, football kits, casual sportswear, and tracksuits. Beneficiaries of previous donations include the Edo State Cricket Association, the cricket team of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Uhogua, Cameroonian refugees in Ogoja, and schools across Delta, Edo, Akwa Ibom, and Taraba States.
Significantly, the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has credited the donations with aiding the development of female cricketers who represented Nigeria in the U-19 T20 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia.
Nine out of the 15 players were from Edo State, which received 250 kilogrammes of cricket kits in 2019. Additionally, cricket projects supported by the CSED Initiative have nurtured two players from Akwa Ibom State who also featured in the tournament.
A CSED Initiative representative stated that the new donation will enable the empowerment of 3,000 children and youths by addressing basic sports kit needs and training 300 Physical Education (P.E.) teachers in 2025. “It’s a win-win situation for grassroots sports,” the representative said.
However, the charity’s recycling project is set to close in March 2025 due to financial constraints. The National Coordinator of CSED Initiative expressed shock at the development, highlighting Lord’s Taverners’ significant contributions to grassroots sports globally.
“We will forever remain grateful for their support, especially in netball, where their donations have encouraged us to revive the game in Nigeria through our ongoing ‘Project 2027’ initiative,” the coordinator added.
The donated kits will be distributed for free to selected schools, IDPs, asylum seekers, and new community groups, ensuring they are put to effective use.
