Richard Taylor, who set up the Foundation in memory of his son Damilola, met last week with The FA's Kim Fisher to request kit and equipment donations for the Damilola Taylor Football Academy in Lagos.

The academy is an offshoot of the Damilola Foundation Nigeria Chapter and has been set up to train and groom under-privileged Nigerian children who show a great interest in football as a career. The academy runs workshops in Nigeria's biggest city and the focus and hope it has given to the country's young footballers has been a wonderful boost to its 12m inhabitants. The scheme mirrors the projects that the Foundation funds in Peckham, the area where Damilola was so tragically murdered almost exactly two years ago.

Ms Fisher visited the project earlier this month when out in Lagos for planning meetings. "It was obvious that the kids are mad on football and the enthusiasm was limitless," she told us.

"To be able help Mr Taylor as he strives to get children off the streets and playing the game they all love in an organised, safe environment is something we are delighted to do."

"I am extremely thankful to The FA for its support," Mr Taylor told us when he visited Soho Square. "Kit and equipment is what we desperately need so contributions such as these are vital to helping the academy achieve its objectives."

The FA will make a formal presentation of kit and equipment to the Football Academy in Lagos on December 20th.

Damilola Taylor 1989 - 2000

Damilola Olufemi Taylor was born on 7th December 1989 in Lagos, Nigeria,to Richard and Gloria Taylor. He began his education at the age of 3 at Luciana Primary School in Nigeria. On 4th August 2000 he travelled to the UK with his mother,his elder sister, Gbemi,and brother, Tunde,both of whom were born in the UK in the late 1970's.

The journey was to enable Gbemi to seek medical treatment for severe Epilepsy, from which she had been suffering for the last five years. Damilola was admitted to the Oliver Goldsmith Primary School in Peckham, south London, in time for the start of the Autumn 2000 term.

On 27th November 2000, Damilola was on his way home after finishing a computer class at the new Peckham Library when he was brutally attacked by a gang of youths. He died on the way to hospital from the stab wound he had received.

Damilola was loved by everyone who knew him, and was nicknamed the 'boy with the infectious smile'. His lifetime ambition was to become a doctor so that he could carry out medical research into the treatment and cure of Epilepsy, in order to save the life of his sister and others like her.

He loved artwork and played football - his favourite football club was Manchester United FC. Damilola wrote a lot of poems, and he once wrote about his life ambition on one of his drawings, as follows: "I will travel far and wide to choose my destiny and remould the world. I know it is my destiny to defend the world which I hope to achieve during my lifetime."

Sadly, this ambition could not be achieved as his life was so prematurely cut short.

This biography was written in dedication to the memory of his son by Richard Taylor.

More info:www.damilolataylortrust.org

 

Daniel Freedman