Article written by Freddie Merrett
Joe Bryant graduated from Durham in July following 3 successful years with the football club, which included taking the reigns as Club Captain in his final year & a 30/30-point promotion winning season with the Second XI in the 2022/23 season.
Following a short spell spending some time with friends and family following the conclusion of the academic year - which included a beautiful day at the All England Lawn Tennis Club with myself - Joe headed out to Lusaka with Team Durham's partner charity, Sport in Action, for an 8-week spell as a Football Development Officer.
Here's what Joe had to say about his experience so far,
For the past 6 weeks, I have been volunteering for the Zambian charity Sport in Action, working alongside local coaches spread across the capital Lusaka.
We are here to collaborate with Zambian coaches, helping to upskill them and develop Sport in Action’s hub-sites. The main site I have been working at is Munali, in northern Lusaka where I have been helping to coach the u19, u15, and u12 boys and the u16 girls. The overall aim is to create a sustainable model at each hub-site, and at Munali I have been helping to bring through the next generation of coaches. Part of this has been the delivering of workshops as part of the Zambian FA’s Football Basic Qualification (equivalent to FA level 1), to develop the skills of coaches and peer leaders. It has been an unbelievable experience so far and I have met, worked with, and played alongside some incredible people, coaches and players.
Particular highlights have been travelling with the u19s from Munali on away days, and going to a Zambian Super League game with some of the coaches who I now have the privilege of calling close friends.
My final 2 weeks here are action packed with many more coaching sessions, matches and sport development work, including conducting outreach in local schools to present to teachers and students about what Sport in Action do and why, as well as the final workshop. It’s been an unbelievable ride so far and I’m sure it’s only gonna get better. In short, the beautiful game is international and I couldn’t recommend the experience enough to anyone.
Joe also flew out some Durham University AFC kit to donate to the teams he worked with while over there. They can be seen sporting the Palatinate below for one of their fixtures.
Joe is testament to the great work, DUAFC and its members continue to do to support Sport in Action, with charity fixtures set to partner with the charity again this year to continue to raise funds to support their cause.
We wish you all the best for your last fortnight in the Zambian capital, Joe - as ever, you are a true champion of the values and ethos that the football club holds dear. Can't wait to welcome you back to Durham in the not too distant future!
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