8thmar05A

Tunbridge Wells help kick poverty into touch

TUNBRIDGE WELLS Football Club will for the first time use a Fair Trade match ball during their Go Travel Kent League clash with Hythe Town on Wednesday night, writes Stephen McCartney.

It is thought the Culverden Stadium outfit will be the first senior club in England to use the ball.

The first two weeks of March are designated Fair Trade fortnight and with Comic Relief also occurring on Friday, the public's attention is very much focused on the serious issues of poverty and the ways in which it can be combated.

Provider, Fair Deal Footballs was the first company to sign up for a pioneering scheme where stitching of footballs is organised in small work units with improved working conditions such as better lighting, ventilation and access to safe drinking water.  A living wage is paid to the workers whose lives are also improved by the provision of health insurance paid for by a premium placed on the footballs they produce.

Simon Harris from Tunbridge Wells Football Club has pioneered the move for the Kent club.  "Poverty is usually the cause of child labour in poorer countries and unfortunately the football business has all too often exploited this.  Child labour is not used in the production of Fair Trade Footballs," he said.

The ball conforms to the international match ball standards as set by FIFA and is made from high quality PU and three layers of tough polyester fabric and an air mattress, which helps reduce the time it needs to regain its shape after being kicked.

A statement from Fair Deal Trading said: "The Fair Deal Trading Partnership has been established to open up new markets for fair trade products in the UK and Europe.  The Fair Deal Football is our first product to be released and will be followed by others that reflect our commitment to equality, fair trade and sustainability.

"We have many years of experience of sourcing and developing criteria for fair trade products and in identifying potential fair trade producers in the developing world."

Please mention www.kentishfootball.co.uk when contacting them via their website:

www.fairdealtrading.com


Tunbridge Wells v Hythe Town
Go Travel Kent League Premier Division
Wednesday 9th March 2005
Kick Off 7:45pm
at Culverden Stadium, Culverden Down, Tunbridge Wells