The Newcastle fan kitting out Zambian footballers

The Newcastle fan kitting out Zambian footballers

The Mfuwe Mags are chasing promotion to Zambia's third tier

The singing begins before the match even kicks off.

Clad from head to toe in black and white, 11 players move in unison through a rhythmic warm-up on a dusty football pitch in rural Zambia.

And when the Mfuwe Mags step out to play, there is no doubt which English club inspired their name.

Their Newcastle United shirts have been provided by a Magpies supporter living thousands of miles away in north-east England.

But the bond between Crispin Mason-Jones and this remote community has grown into something far bigger than football.

The Mags are now pushing for promotion to Zambia's third tier, while Crispin's work has widened to include supplying football kit to hundreds of schoolchildren across the region.

It is a long way from 2022, when the club was close to financial collapse.

The Zambian club has also formed a women's side, the Mfuwe Mags Queens, pictured with Dr Ellie Bond

Crispin first learned of the team while his wife, Dr Ellie Bond, was working in Zambia.

The club was supporting young people in the Mfuwe community but was struggling to pay for basic items such as football boots and kit, along with the expense of travelling to away games.

Crispin, a devoted Newcastle fan, chose to step in.

He secured sponsorship, adopted the club and helped supply equipment and funding.

The team became known as the Mfuwe Mags.

Four years on, the partnership is still growing stronger.

Crispin, who has recently returned home to Newcastle after spending two months in Zambia, continues to supply the men's team with shirts, football boots and help with travel costs.

Crispin Mason-Jones is spreading his love for Newcastle

The senior squad now includes 25 players, and the Mags are hoping to earn promotion to Division One East, the third tier of Zambian football.

For Crispin, that was something he could never have imagined when he first got involved.

"When I first heard about the club, I just wanted to help keep it going. I never imagined that four years later I would still be involved – or that we would be talking about promotion."

The relationship has also grown to include a women's team, the Mfuwe Mags Queens.

Crispin supplies kit for the players, while Ellie has been using her medical background to support their wellbeing.

Ian Macallan from Project Luangwa and Crispin Mason-Jones have been handing out football kits to local schoolchildren

The Newcastle link is now reaching beyond the Mags themselves.

Crispin gathers unwanted football kit from non-league clubs across the North East and sends it to Zambia.

Earlier this month, shirts, shorts and socks were handed out to hundreds of children from 25 schools around Mfuwe.

Clubs donating kit included Blyth Town, Wallsend Boys Club, Easington, Whickham, Gateshead Redheugh, Catterick Garrison and Kingston Park.

The kit is being distributed with support from football recycling charities including Taking Football to Africa and Beyond and KitAid.

For schools with limited resources, receiving a set of football shirts can make a real difference.

Meleki Chipo, a sports teacher in the area, said the children were thrilled.

"The kids are happy because the kit is so hard for us to find out here. Giving us such a donation will go a long way and give the kids motivation to perform very well."

He said football gives children a chance to develop their abilities and avoid some of the problems affecting young people in the area.

"Football is very important to us. It gives the children a platform to showcase their talents and keeps them away from such things as drugs, early marriage and teenage pregnancy."

For Crispin, the shirts mean more than simply clothing children.

"Kit is a big thing here. It is a mark of prestige – and belonging and being part of a team and everything that brings with it, like community."

But moving the kit from the North East to rural Zambia is not simple.

Crispin collects and sorts the donations, packs them in the UK and arranges shipment to Africa. When they arrive, they must be sorted again before being handed out.

"It's an awful lot of work getting to this point. There is the collection and boxing it up in the UK, getting it shipped here and then sorting it out once it's here.

"It's a time-consuming process, but it's always an amazingly uplifting experience."

Crispin has spent several months in Zambia and is a regular visitor to the Mfuwe Mags

There is another North East connection that could have an even bigger effect.

Ian Macallan, chief operating officer of Project Luangwa, is originally from County Durham and is also a Newcastle fan.

Project Luangwa works with communities in the area on tourism, education and gender programmes.

In July, it received a $150,000 grant from Fifa's Global Citizen Education Fund to expand sporting opportunities in Mfuwe.

It is the first time Zambia has received a Fifa grant of this kind.

The funding is meant to provide facilities including a football pitch and spaces for tennis, basketball and netball.

Macallan says the aim is to give children opportunities that simply do not exist right now.

"Basically, it's about providing kids like these with a real opportunity to learn through sport and take them away from some of the more difficult things we see in the bush, like teenage pregnancies, early marriage, alcohol abuse and poaching."

He says sport can also help build confidence and leadership skills, especially among girls.

"Zambia is really passionate about football and it brings everyone together.

"For us, it brings better health and fitness and leadership skills. It teaches people how to work as a team, particularly girls. Building up their confidence is really key for us."

For Crispin, the personal bond remains the most important part.

"The relationship with the players and the people around the club has become really special.

"They are the Mfuwe Mags, but they are also very much part of the Newcastle family."

Four years ago, the question was whether the Mfuwe football club could survive.

Now the question is - how far can it go?