VIDEO AUDIO
Freetown establish, wide.
poverty
HDV footage tape 22, slums
Sierra Leone.
Emerging from a decade-long civil war, itʼs one
of Africaʼs poorest nations.
kids playing football when v/o says
“in its love of football”
street games, donʼt use Bellamy
league.
following team 59:14
game with school kids playing in
freetown.
Yet itʼs a country rich ... in its love of football.
Nigeria U-17 HDV footage;
Ghana national team training
Sierra Leone Premier League
game.
use “away game” old edwardians
In West Africa, Nigeria and Ghana may be
considered the gameʼs powerhouses ...
... while Sierra Leone has never been close to
qualifying for the World Cup.
Sierra Leone Premier League
game; fans cheering in stadium.
from “finals, stadium”
Kids playing on the street.
use kids playing scene we didnʼt
use in scene 2
But the passion for the game is just as intense in
this small nation of six million people ... and the
importance of football here goes beyond the
game itself.
Positive Sierra Leone football
images
Premier League game, fans
Old Edwardians training. Kids
playing on the street.
In a country torn apart by violent conflict, football
is playing an increasingly important role in
getting Sierra Leone back on its feet.
Craig Bellamy visit to game,
academy
Stanley HDV footage.
we should not see craig bellamy
until we hear his name. footage of
him checking out local game.
Help is coming from an unlikely source --
professional football star Craig Bellamy.
Sierra Leone Football / Journeyman Pictures
VIDEO AUDIO
Craig Bellamy visit to game,
academy
Stanley HDV footage
The Welsh striker, who is currently on loan at
Cardiff from Manchester City, has a reputation
as one of the gameʼs bad boys.
Craig Bellamy visit to game,
academy
Stanley HDV footage
What most people donʼt know is that after
visiting Sierra Leone in 2006, Bellamy started a
foundation to support the development of youth
football here.
Bellamy interview;
Bellamy watches soccer game
Stanley HDV footage
CRAIG BELLAMY
around 8:00
Sierra Leone ... has a reputation, it doesnʼt look
great from the outside. But once you come
inside, it looks completely different. Theyʼre
warm, football-loving people who deserve a
better chance in life.
around 8:52
Iʼve probably found myself here in the last 4
years than anywhere else in the world. I have
fallen in love with the place.
Bellamy visits the academy
Stanley HDV footage
show construction complete.
can also use Stefan HDV footage
tape 25
Bellamy has financed the countryʼs first football
academy, which recently opened its doors to its
first group of students. The emphasis is as much
on education as football.
Bellamy interview;
Bellamy visits the academy
Stanley HDV footage
CRAIG BELLAMY
28:35
Football is a long shot ... difficult profession ...
limits kids out here. If I have one player, it will be
amazing. As long as they get educated, thatʼs
what I want for my own children. It doesnʼt have
to be football. If they want to be a lawyer, have
to give them the best opportunity.
Sierra Leone Football / Journeyman Pictures
VIDEO AUDIO
Bellamy league (HDV footage)
tape 22.
Since 2009, the Bellamy Foundation is also
running a youth league with about 1,600
players.
Bellamy league (HDV footage)
tape 22
Teams earn points not just based on match
results, but also on things like school
attendance, participation in community projects
and fair play.
Kid walking through ruins (HDV
footage). tape 22 at 16:48?
The civil war in Sierra Leone destroyed much of
the countryʼs educational system.
Kid breaking rocks
tape 22 HDV at 17:37
;
Bellamy league (HDV footage)
tape 22
Before the league began, only about 20 percent
of the kids who are now playing in it went to
school. After the first year of play, that number is
now 80 percent.
Bellamy interview;
Stanley HDV footage
CRAIG BELLAMY
around 30:00
If you donʼt go to school, you canʼt be involved in
football.
Linda Jones watching Bellamy
league.
(finals, stadium
after 5:15:15:11 ... sheʼs the white
woman watching the game)
Boy juggles in front of UNICEF
sign
(bellamy league finals 3:54:28)
Linda Jones works with UNICEF, which cosponsors
the league.
Sierra Leone Football / Journeyman Pictures
VIDEO AUDIO
Linda Jones interview;
Bellamy league footage (with her
watching).
Alpha Turay dancing
LINDA JONES
Tape 24 HDV footage
1:00
For children, the war was quite devastating.
13:32"
every child has a right to play. sports goes a little
further, team building, understanding rules,
respect, all adds to a holistic development of a
child. also build a child's self esteem. repeats.
ends 14:30
16:15
Most children who suffer violence ... fair play ...
itʼs an important part ...
Dennis at home
HDV footage is tape 24
alt use XDCam visit at Dʼs house
One of the stars of the league is 12-year-old
Dennis Cole.
Dennis with mother Dennis lives with his mother in a poor
neighborhood of Freetown, the capital.
At home, heʼs a shy and fragile boy, visibly
scarred by the civil war that claimed the life of
his father when Dennis was only five years old.
dennis crying, tries to talk about
his dad.
HDV footage tape 24, 47:50
Dennis playing, leading,
gesticulating
from finals, stadium
But on the football pitch, Dennis assumes a
leadership role as the captain of his team.
Dennis playing, winning, trophy
from finals, stadium 5:46:28
In the finals of the inaugural season, his team
won the championship.
Sierra Leone Football / Journeyman Pictures
VIDEO AUDIO
Dennis with trophy
5:46:28:05
from finals, stadium
DENNIS
from following kids
3:57:03 - I was the captain and i got the two
trophies.
3:58:14- my football has been so happy
Kids playing; happy faces;
showing the positive impact of the
game in sierra leone.
use from Bellamy League
finals, stadium
Players walking into stadium and
onto pitch for Premier League
game.
finals, stadium 17:00
A big part of the push to develop football in
Sierra Leone is the revival of the once-popular
Sierra Leonean Premier League.
Duro watching the game at the
national stadium
finals, stadium 39:05??
Durosimi Thomas is the director of the Craig
Bellamy Foundation in Sierra Leone. Heʼs also a
driving force behind the reborn Premier League.
Duro interview and game at
national stadium
DUROSIMI THOMAS
finals, stadium
44:55
The Sierra Leone Premier League ... itʼs a way
to bring football back after the civil war.
Duro interview and game at
national stadium
DURO
HDV tape 23
19:15
it used to be big in the 1970s and 80s. In those
days, you would have the big derby and people
would come and sleep here in the stadium.
Sierra Leone Football / Journeyman Pictures
VIDEO AUDIO
Game at national stadium
from finals, stadium
people wearing English
Premiership shirts
use shot of sideline commentator
with camera man on mini cam.
tape 23 at 41:22
During the civil war, the league came to a
grinding halt. Since then, many Sierra Leonians
have switched their allegiance to the English
Premiership. That is something Thomas hopes
will change.
Duro and game
from finals, stadium
DURO
from finals, stadium
57:34
Our vision is big, the sky is the limit. We want to
be the England type league. We donʼt have the
word impossible in our vocabulary.
Game at national stadium
from finals, stadium
Today, some of the people who fought on
opposite sides in the war, find themselves doing
battle on the football pitch ... as teammates.
Duro and game
from finals, stadium
DURO
35:05 HDV tape 23
football can be a reconciliatory and unifying
force in taking sierra leone forward.
kids juggling ball under the big tree
in freetown, pull back
Sierra Leone Football / Journeyman Pictures