By Yaya Egwaikhide
Hackney Wick FC is the first and only semi professional team in the borough of Hackney and is using its platform to create a renewed sense of community in the borough.
Founded in 2015 by Bobby Kasanga, Hackney Wick FC prides itself on its sense of community and family. Its ethos is based on uniting its local community as well as battling gang influences.
This all stems down from Kasanga, who spent eight years in prison for armed robbery and came out with a plan to help solve the issues that he had to face growing up in this community. The Club is now working towards raising £1million to build a stadium within the borough of Hackney, as it is the only borough in the capital without a ground to allow semi-professional football to be played at the right level.
“Our chairman was keen to make this pitch possible as it would be a space for young talents from our area to play the sport they love and keep them off the streets,” said Hackney Wick first team manager Yilmaz Sami.
Hackney is the fifth most dangerous borough in London with 4,140 reported crimes with most common crime being violence against the person which has had 1,000 incidents reported in just two months. One of Hackney Wick FC’s main focuses is to decrease that number by building that stadium.
“It will be easier to access for the people in our borough to come and play the sport they love no matter what their ability is as well as keeping those involved in gangs and drugs away from hat and giving them a place to feel welcome and happy,” Yilmaz added.
Children who join football academies at the earliest age, which is 9 years old, should know that less than one per cent will end up making a living from the sport, and many are released without knowing anything other than football.
The mental toll it has on these young boys is there for everyone to see. In 2020, former Manchester City Academy defender, 18-year-old Jeremy Witsen, committed suicide following his release from the Academy.
“It will even be a place for young men and women who have been released from their Academy or who didn’t get their professional contracts or scholars to showcase their talent and help them rise up the ladders in the footballing world,” the manager said.
With the backing of the local council and the involvement of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Hackney Wick FC hopes to build links to all groups in its community help to tackle the sky-high crime rates in the borough as well as build a platform for grassroot football to be recognised as one of the key influences in helping local communities thrive, as well as creating jobs and opportunities for those who would not have them otherwise.
The club believes it is transforming lives and helping out with issues that need to be addressed within the borough.
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