Tackle

What Tackle does

Tackle (legal entity: TackleAfrica, a UK company limited by guarantee, registration 07328452, and registered charity 1137931) is a social-impact organisation founded in 2002 that delivers Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), HIV, and menstrual health education to adolescents and young people in sub-Saharan Africa using football as the engagement vehicle. The core intervention methodology combines structured football drills with age-appropriate SRHR messaging, delivered by trained local football coaches in schools, on community pitches, and at health facilities. Tackle has built a portfolio of distinct programmes — including Sexual Health Through Football, Menstrual Health and Hygiene, the 'Finding Your Feet' HIV-positive adolescent programme, and Coach and Mobiliser Training — across nine countries in West, East and Southern Africa (notably Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Côte d'Ivoire).

The underlying 'technology' is fundamentally a domain-specialised methodology and curriculum, not a software product: 23+ years of iterative development have produced the playbook for turning football drills into teachable moments on taboo health topics. Operational delivery goes through partnerships with implementing organisations on the ground rather than direct country offices in every market. The digital footprint is conventional for a UK charity — a WordPress-based website, JustGiving donation checkout, email newsletter, and standard social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X) — with no mobile app, API, SDK, or AI capability documented.

Tackle does not sell products or services; it is funded as a charity. Primary revenue streams are (i) UK-based fundraising events, principally Football Marathons (12-hour 6-a-side tournaments held across London, Brighton, Bristol, Oxford, Jersey and a women's/non-binary series) and Golf Days; (ii) individual donations via JustGiving; and (iii) institutional grants from major funders including Laureus Sport for Good, ViiV Healthcare, Sida, FIFA Foundation, the International Olympic Committee, Agence Française de Développement, the Mercury Phoenix Trust, and Common Goal, alongside corporate visibility partnerships with Manchester City F.C. and endorsements from footballer Serge Gnabry. The 2024 Football Marathon series alone raised approximately £235,000 from 850 players across 110 teams, with cumulative Marathon fundraising exceeding £2.8 million since inception.

Name

Tackle

Legal name

TackleAfrica

Website

https://tackleafrica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tackle is a UK-registered charity that uses football to deliver HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights education to adolescents across nine sub-Saharan African countries, funded through fundraising events, corporate partnerships, and institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Sexual & Reproductive Health & Family Planning (SRH/FP) Programs (BPADAIAD)

Keywords

• SRHR education
• Football coaching programs
• HIV prevention
• African health education
• Youth health programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Hove

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Tackle operates as a charitable organization funded primarily through donations and fundraising activities. Key fundraising mechanisms include Football Marathons (12-hour 6-a-side tournaments), Golf Days, individual donations, and corporate sponsorships. The organization has raised over £2.8 million through Football Marathons alone.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tackle delivers sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) education to adolescents and young people in sub-Saharan Africa through football-based coaching programs. Trained community coaches use football drills and on-pitch sessions combined with structured health discussions to teach HIV prevention, sexual health, gender equality, and life skills, reaching beneficiaries across nine African countries.

Product overview

Tackle is a charity organization that delivers HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) education through football-based programs across sub-Saharan Africa. The organization operates social impact programs rather than technology products, providing football coaching sessions, health education workshops, and community mobilization activities for adolescents and young people. The core intervention methodology combines football drills with SRHR information delivery, implemented through trained coaches in schools and communities across 9 countries in West, East & Southern Africa. The organization also runs flagship fundraising events in the UK (Football Marathons, Golf Days) to support these programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Football Marathons: 12-hour football tournaments serving as Tackle's flagship fundraising events, held annually in multiple UK cities including London, Brighton, Jersey, Bristol, and Oxford.
• Golf Days

Products and services

• Football-based SRHR education programs Community-delivered sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) education combined with football coaching, targeted at adolescents and young people across nine sub-Saharan African countries. Trained local coaches use football drills and structured health discussions to teach HIV prevention, sexual health, gender equality and life skills.
• Football Marathon fundraising events Recurring community and corporate fundraising events structured around football, used by Tackle to generate revenue to fund its SRHR education programs in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Golf Day fundraising events Recurring corporate and individual-donor golf tournaments that generate funds for Tackle's SRHR programs in sub-Saharan Africa.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, flagship and minor.

• Laureus Sport for Good FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor funding and strategic partner supporting Tackle's football-based health programmes across Africa. Laureus has supported multiple programmes including the Menstrual Health and Hygiene programme in Hoima and Kikuube districts.
• Manchester City F.C.majorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership supporting Tackle's work in Kilifi. Manchester City provides brand visibility and cross-promotional opportunities for Tackle's fundraising efforts.
• FIFA FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIFA Foundation supports Tackle's social impact programmes through funding and global recognition of football-for-good initiatives.
• International Olympic Committee (IOC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the Sport for Education and Sustainable Livelihoods in Africa (SESLA) programme, the IOC provides support for Tackle's menstrual health and broader SRHR programming.
• Doctors Without Borders (MSF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTackle visited MSF's Mombasa office to explore potential collaboration on an ongoing project focused on People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) and People Who Use Drugs (PWUD).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Beyond Sport: Global sport-for-development collective and awards organiser that convenes Tackle's peer organisations. Ecosystem/network peer rather than direct delivery competitor.
• Common Goal: Football-for-good collective founded by Juan Mata that pools player pledges to fund sport-for-development organisations, including Tackle via Serge Gnabry. Ecosystem/funding peer rather than delivery competitor.
• Laureus Sport for Good Foundation: Major sport-for-development funder and ecosystem convener that supports Tackle and dozens of comparable sport-for-good organisations. Indirect peer — funder/ecosystem enabler rather than direct delivery competitor.

Direct peers

• Soccer Without Borders: Nonprofit using soccer as a vehicle for refugee and migrant youth inclusion, education, and health outcomes. Comparable sport-for-development methodology with adolescent and marginalised-population focus.
• Grassroot Soccer: US- and Africa-based nonprofit that uses football-based coaching to deliver HIV prevention, SRHR, and adolescent health education across sub-Saharan Africa. Most directly comparable to Tackle in mission, methodology, geography, and target beneficiaries.
• Right To Play: Global sport-for-development nonprofit operating in Africa and other regions, using play and sport to improve health, education, and protection outcomes for children. Comparable delivery model and youth-focused health/education remit.
• PeacePlayers International: Nonprofit using basketball and sport to bridge divides and develop leadership among youth in conflict-affected regions. Comparable sport-for-social-impact delivery model and youth focus.
• Coaches Across Continents: Nonprofit that partners with local coaches and organisations to deliver sport-for-social-impact programmes, including health education, across Africa and other regions. Highly comparable coach-led, locally embedded delivery model.
• Women Win: International nonprofit that uses sport to advance gender equity and adolescent girls' health and rights, including SRHR. Closely aligned with Tackle's menstrual health and AGYW programmes.
• Magic Bus UK: Sport-for-development nonprofit using sport and play to take children out of poverty, with programmes in India and Africa. Comparable sport-based youth development and life-skills delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tackleafrica
• Facebookfacebook.com/tackleafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tackleafrica
• Instagraminstagram.com/tackleafrica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tackle