Following on from the recent ‘Impossible Team’ documentary, Football For A New Tomorrow (FANT) and Flying Star Amputees – for whom players are victims of civil war amputations – have launched a campaign called Come Back Stronger, which seeks to lend support to all players that are currently recovering from serious injuries.
One of the most inspiring stories in football arrived earlier this month courtesy of Hummel and FANT in the form of a short documentary titled ‘The Impossible Team’. It told the inspiring story of Sierra Leonean football team Flying Star Amputees; if their team name doesn’t spell out exactly the type of adversity that this team has overcome, then you should certainly watch the documentary. And now FANT progress the story of incredible optimism and hope, translating it into a message of support for injured players under the campaign header Come Back Stronger.
In the short video that accompanies the campaign, The Flying Stars send a heartfelt message of support to some of the football superstars who have been side-lined this season due to severe injury. Among the injured players to receive a greeting of encouragement from The Flying Stars is Juventus legend Giorgio Chiellini, Real Madrid star Marco Asensio, Man City’s winger Leroy Sané, and Everton’s Portuguese international André Gomes.
For years, injuries kept The Flying Stars players from doing what they love the most: playing football. But in the end, their love of the game gave them the strength to work their way back on to the pitch. With a daily life that is full of adversity and hardship, football gives the players a strong sense of purpose and community – both when playing as a team and when following their heroes in the big European leagues.
The campaign objective is not only to bring hope, encouragement and support to players at a time that can often be the most mentally challenging, but also to raise awareness of FANT’s humanitarian work in Sierra Leone. Through the establishment and operation of sports associations, the organisation creates development and change.
“Everyone in Sierra Leone is absolutely crazy about football, but everything in connection to football was and is extremely unstructured and unorganised,” explained Cecilie Hauerberg, Founder of FANT. “That is what we are working to change, while also creating a better understanding of democratic principles, human rights, women’s rights, and disabled’s rights through educational workshops.”
You can support FANT and the Flying Stars by donating at fant.dk/comebackstronger
