Bellamy reveals academy plans

Welshman invests to help Sierra Leone

Last updated: 6th May 2008

Craig Bellamy

Bellamy: Moving forward with plans

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Craig Bellamy has announced plans to set up a football structure in war-torn Sierra Leone.

The West Ham striker visited the country last summer and the Craig Bellamy Foundation is now set to start the construction of an academy in the capital Freetown.

Bellamy's plans will incorporate 14 new league and 68 new boys' teams, giving employment to 141 managers and coaches.

The project, which has been welcomed by Sierra Leone president Ernest Bai Koroma, will go beyond football with boys' teams picking up extra points for fair play, school attendance and helping in the community.

Sierra Leone has the worst child mortality figures in the world but Bellamy hopes the foundation will lead to more youngsters receiving health awareness education.

The Welshman has so far invested £650,000 of his own money into the foundation but he insists he is not in it for personal gain.

"I'm not looking to find and sell players," Bellamy told The Times.

Chance

"I'm not an agent. I want to make it clear that if any player does make it, any fee goes straight back into the academy.

"Because of what's happened over the years with the war, children haven't had any opportunity. They haven't been thrown a football, they've been thrown a gun.

"Now we can give them a chance that their fathers or grandfather's never had. That's the buzz for me."

Bellamy has faced criticism in the past but he added: "I've never been interested in people's comments anyway, apart from my family and my friends."