Earlier this month, Official Liverpool Supporters Clubs around the world were given the challenge of coming up with creative ways to support their local communities during the pandemic.
Thirty-four OLSCs across five continents took up the This Means More Challenge, delivering a wide range of activities supporting vulnerable people in local communities where they live.
2020 TMM Challenge Winners
OLSC Myanmar – This Means More 2020 Winner
OLSC Madrid – Family Award 2020 Winner
OLSC Kenya – Original Award 2020 Winner
OLSC Las Vegas – YNWA Award 2020 Winner
Yesterday, the four winners were announced and John Gibbons spoke to all of them to find out what they did and the difference they made together.
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OLSC Myanmar – This Means More Weekend Challenge Winner 2020
The worthy winners of this year’s competition had a wonderful showcase of exciting events. “It’s important to support the club and represent the club values,” said Yamin Aung TMM Challenge Leader and Secretary for OLSC Myanmar.
Here’s what the Myanmar Reds accomplished over the 3 day competition:
- Planted 96 plants for the 96
- Donated 200 Fabric Masks
- Handed out Meal Boxes to the Less Fortunate
- Made Donations of Food and Clothes to refugees in Rakhine States
- Hosted a Blood Drive
- Cleaned up a Hospital Compound
- Donated 10L of Hand Sanitizer to a Mental Health Facility
- Provided Snacks and Coffee for Front Line Workers
Best of all – on the third day they hosted an online game show, quiz show and mini concert! Wow! If you couldn’t tell, Myanmar Reds are absolutely boss!
“We believe in each other, we are bonded together… we are very delighted to help the community. We are very pleased and proud of ourselves, at the same time it was a very humbling experience,” said Aung in an interview with John Gibbons. Check out the Myanmar Reds on social media to find out where you can watch LFC!
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OLSC Madrid – LFC Foundation Family Award 2020 Winner
We won it in Madrid! Madrid Reds President Jackie Willcox shares the club’s work with local food banks during lockdown and their inspiration for various charity initiatives. It is expected almost 40% of the entire Spanish population will require assistance from food banks this year. As with Liverpool, the economy in Spain relies heavily on tourism and a lot of families are suffering – OLSC Madrid devised a “Champions Walk” to raise money and awareness for those suffering from food insecurity. Members walked 48km for all 48 of Liverpool’s honors. Children as young as 4 participated in the event! Jackie speaks on the unique challenges of charity during the COVID19 pandemic, and how the TMM Challenge has kept its members in high spirits and connected through lockdown.
Liverpool have played many memorable games in Madrid – the Divock Origi Final, and 2009 Champions League knockout round vs Real Madrid being the immense highlights. OLSC Madrid has been around through them all and is one of the best international supporters clubs in the world with a vibrant mix of lifelong reds, local Madrileños, and Liverpool fans from everywhere frequenting the Triskel Taven on matchdays. The pub is located near trendy Malasana and Chueca neighborhoods, which makes the Madrid Reds a wonderful place to visit. The Triskel Tavern is quite cozy, so make sure you show up early for big matches and check in with Madrid Reds social media!
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OLSC Kenya – Original Award 2020 Winner
Former Chairman and Social Media guru Nishal Sodha sits down to talk about The Kop Kenya, founded in 2013. The supporters group has the most interesting and dynamic charitable endeavors which won them a very well deserved award for originality from the LFC Foundation.
Nishal talks about uniting Kopites from all over Kenya, utilizing whatever good people are kind and able enough to give, as well as the unique challenges they have risen to more majestically than a Virgil Van Dijk header. For the This Means More Challenge Weekend, the Kenya Kop planned 5 events in 3 days all over Kenya, including volunteering for kids in Kisumu, donating to an orphanage in Thika, giving to 11 different orphanages in Mombasa and adhering to all COVID19 regulations to boot.
Charity has always meant a lot to the Kenyan reds, membership dues are put toward charity work, whatever money they collect they put towards charity. “Supporting a young child from an underprivileged background through football school in Nairobi, or feeding street kids on a Sunday – for instance, 120 – 130 school kids at a particular venue and we’ll sponsor that entire event. We’ve done these over a long period of time and we’ll continue to do this,” Nishal shared.
Here is the charity work Kop Kenya participated in across the country:
- Kisumu: Nishal Sodha and Chirag Bhayani lead volunteered with kids for the Rahul Kotak Foundation
- Eldoret: Madhvi Dalal of PadMad worked with Eluid Kipchoge foundation to distribute reusable sanitary pads to female athletes. The #BleedWithPride intiative helped Kop Kenya cement the LFC Foundation award for originality.
- Nairobi: JT Chavda, Dillan Mandalia, Eddie Quraishy, Mylton Maingi and others donated food and diapers to the Nest Children’s Home, where children of incarcerated mothers receive holistic care and a formal education.
- Thika: Abdulhussein Adamji was joined by other Kop Kenyans to serve a cooked meal and thereafter stock the Dada’s Community Centre larder with dry food for a month. Dada’s is home to 100 orphaned kids.
- Mombasa / Kwale County / Kilifi County: Adam Kadernani and other Kenyan Kopites One of the orphanages in Mombasa was one for mentally challenged kids, with their donation through the local Birds of Paradise Foundation, the Kenyan Kop was able to pay for one meal a day, for an entire month, for each child.
The Moyale Odyssey – Two Kenyan Kopites Cycling for Charity
Just like in Liverpool, COVID19 has disrupted the tourism economy in Kenya as well. Not as many international tourists are frequenting national parks, many are losing income, and social services are few. From December 11th – 23rd, two Kop Kenya members, Alex Sio and Patrick Willy, plan to cycle 1500km from Nairobi to Moyale and back. The trip will take13 days all the money raised is for 370 park rangers Samburu county. Kampur Travel Diaries will help distribute these hampers in Samburu County over Christmas 2020. Let’s put a smile on the faces of the (often neglected) park rangers.
Follow Alex Sio’s Journey:
View Kenyan Kopites cycling stats on Strava
Use #MoyaleOdyssey on Twitter.
Check out Alexander Sio on Youtube
You can pledge donation to the #MoyaleOdyssey here.
Some people can’t give money, but they give what they can – flour, sugar, offering their restaurant to make food for the kids – every act of kindness counts. Nishal talks abou the warmth, restorative nature and satisfaction that comes with giving in depth with our interview.
From having 13 members their first year to over 300 members now, Nishal describes OLSC Kenya is “likeminded individuals, just die hard Liverpool fans, supporting one club, getting together to do things together – it’s just fantastic. None of us could have ever envisaged this for sure!”
The Kop Kenya meets all over the country, find them on social media if you’d like to watch a match with the Kenyan Kopites near you!
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OLSC Las Vegas – You’ll Never Walk Alone Award 2020 Winner
Welcome to Klopp Vegas! Despite the razzle dazzle of the Vegas strip, Las Vegas also has its problems. Ronnie from OLSC Las Vegas talks about their work with Nevada Partnership of Homeless Youth. Over 1,200 kids aged 12 – 20 are homeless in the city. “The whole idea for this charity is to get these kids on to be able to live a self sustaining life.” For every goal scored for LFC, the Vegas Kop encourages their members to donate $1 in a glass bowl for the NPHY – VAR delays make things more interesting!
Ronnie also talks about filming the Boring James Milner song, crashing a vegas wedding dressed as Elvis, their home at McMullan’s Irish Pub. Liverpool has a way of bringing people together, and Las Vegas kopites of every skill set worked on producing their video entry for the TMM Challenge. If you’re ever in Vegas, stop by and the Vegas kopites will take care of ya!
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(Also check out the #TMMChallenge and the LFC Foundation on Twitter.)
