Kit4kenya

What Kit4kenya does

Kit4Kenya is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 1202039) founded in 2017 by Tom Sweetnam and Archie Barrow, two 17-year-old A-level students from Radley College, that collects and redistributes surplus football kit from professional clubs to underprivileged children and slum football teams in Nairobi, Kenya. The charity operates a community-led model that sources excess stock directly from 6+ professional football clubs including the England FA, Arsenal FC, AS Roma, Manchester United, Fulham, Reading FC, and Oxford United FC; aggregates additional kit from UK schools, universities, and sports clubs; and ships consolidated pallets via sea freight (approximately 8-week transit) to on-ground coordinators who distribute to affiliated teams including Football Without Borders Kenya and Huruma Slum communities. To date the organization states it has delivered £1,000,000 of cumulative retail kit value to Kenya.

The charity's revenue model is hybrid: it accepts one-off and recurring monthly financial donations via the Donorbox platform to cover shipping costs, sells branded merchandise (six colours of branded beanies at £12 each) through a Wix-hosted e-commerce shop, and — from 2024 — is developing 'The Experience,' a fee-for-service 4-week gap year programme capped at 12 participants per cohort, scheduled to launch in early 2027. Underlying technology is minimal: no proprietary software is disclosed, with operations relying on standard logistics, warehouse management, and third-party payment (Donorbox) and e-commerce (Wix) infrastructure. Marketing is conducted through Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, press coverage (Yahoo News, Oxford Mail), a YouTube mini-documentary, and a Student Ambassador Programme that has recruited 10 UK university students annually since 2021. Leadership consists of founder Tom Sweetnam (also employed in marketing at Red Bull Racing), Head of Operations Guy Gowar, and Lead Ambassador Charlie Hicks, with on-ground Kenyan coordination handled by Africa Gap partners Annabelle and Simon Dugdale.

Name

Kit4kenya

Legal name

Kit 4 Kenya

Website

https://kit4kenya.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kit4Kenya is a UK-registered charity founded in 2017 that collects surplus football kit from professional clubs (England FA, Arsenal, AS Roma) and ships it to underprivileged children in Nairobi slums, funded by donations, branded merchandise sales, and a forthcoming gap year programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Sports Equipment Distribution

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI) (BPAGAAAC)

Keywords

• Charitable football kit donation
• Sports equipment recycling
• Youth sports charity
• Fundraising merchandise sales
• Gap year football programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxfordshire

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations (One-off and Recurring): The charity relies on financial donations from supporters to cover shipping costs. They accept both one-off donations and recurring monthly donations through Donorbox.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including beanies in various colours at £12 per item. Proceeds support shipping operations.
3. The Experience Programme: Gap year programme (4 weeks in Kenya) providing participants with football coaching qualifications and hands-on experience. Participants pay for the programme which covers costs while generating revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kit4Kenya is a UK-registered charity that collects donated football kit (boots, full kits, training wear) from professional football clubs and individual supporters across the UK, then sorts, packages, and ships the kit via sea freight to underprivileged children and slum football teams in Nairobi, Kenya. The charity has delivered over £1,000,000 worth of football kit since 2017 and supplements its donation-based model with branded merchandise sales (beanies) and a fee-based gap year programme called The Experience.

Product overview

Kit4kenya is a UK-registered charity (Number 1202039) founded in summer 2017 that collects and distributes donated football kits to underprivileged children in Kenya. The organisation operates as a single unified charitable mission with two primary offerings: merchandise (Kit 4 Kenya Beanies available in six colors) sold through their online shop to raise funds, and The Experience gap year programme for young people aged 18-23. The charity also accepts financial donations via one-off and recurring options. Kit4kenya partners with professional football clubs to source kits and uses sea freight to ship donations to Kenya, having delivered over £1 million worth of football kit to date.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kit 4 Kenya - The Experience: A programme for young people aged 18-23 offering the opportunity to travel to Kenya, deliver football kits to underprivileged communities, and obtain England Football coaching qualifications. Delivered in partnership with Africa Gap, with the first group expected in early 2027.

Products and services

• Kit 4 Kenya Branded Beanie Branded charity beanie available in six colours (Navy, Sand, Classic Red, Bottle Green, Sky Blue, Lavender), sold for £12.00 each through the Kit4Kenya online shop with proceeds supporting shipping of football kit to Kenya.
• The Experience Gap Year Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered £1,000,000 worth of football kit to Kenyan children since 2017
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• England FAcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2021England FA approached Kit4Kenya in February 2021 to help distribute excess stock. They provided 3,000 brand new full kits from the 2018 World Cup. Partnership has continued for 3 consecutive years with plans to extend further.
• Arsenal FCcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2017Official partnership with Arsenal FC providing access to excess stock. Received 3,000 items distributed to Kenyan communities and slum football teams. Kids and communities were delighted to receive kits before Christmas.
• Oxford United FCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal club partnership as Kit4Kenya is based in Oxford. Received around 100 items distributed to Nairobi slum football teams.
• AS Roma FC (Roma Cares)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAS Roma nominated Kit4Kenya as their chosen charity. Nike football kit donated, some even worn by players, shipped from Italy to UK then to Huruma Slum, Kenya.
• EdclubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitial partnership in 2017 that helped transport the first football boots to Kenya. Edclub is a skyping platform connecting UK schools with Kenyan children.
• Manchester UnitedminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner club providing excess stock donations.
• Fulham FCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner club providing excess stock donations.
• Reading FCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner club providing excess stock donations.
• KitAidminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as a partner organization in the charitable ecosystem.
• Goods-for-GoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK charity partnership for surplus goods redistribution.
• Life Reform AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican charity partnership for community development.
• Africa GapcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Annabelle & Simon Dugdale. 20+ years experience running trips in Kenya. Handles logistics, safety, and on-ground operations for The Experience programme. Annabelle has 24 years hosting safaris in Kenya; Simon has 25 years in wildlife conservation and UN work in East Africa.
• Classic Football ShirtsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEach Experience programme participant receives a voucher to choose their own football shirt. Vouchers redeemable online or at their iconic London store.
• Football Without Borders KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the first teams Kit4Kenya supported in 2017. Experience programme participants coach children in FWB programme and participate in a final tournament. Recipients of kit donations over the years.
• Alive and KickingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Kenyan charity. Experience programme participants tour the workshop, design and hand-stitch a leather football, and visit a facility that has welcomed Barack Obama.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Street League: UK charity using football to tackle youth unemployment through sport-based employability programmes; operates in the same UK football-for-impact category but focused on education-to-employment outcomes.
• Right to Play: Global sport-for-development organization using play and sport to educate and empower children in disadvantaged communities; broader geographic footprint and remit, but overlapping 'sport as development tool' thesis.

Direct peers

• KitAid: UK-based charity that recycles and redistributes football kit to underprivileged communities globally — closely overlapping mission and operational model with Kit4Kenya.
• Alive and Kicking: Africa-based social enterprise that manufactures and distributes sports balls while supporting health education; listed as a partner of Kit4Kenya's Experience programme and operates in overlapping Kenya geographies.
• Football Without Borders Kenya: Kenya-based youth football NGO; one of Kit4Kenya's first beneficiaries since 2017 and a partner on The Experience programme, with an identical target beneficiary (underprivileged Kenyan children playing football).
• Goods for Good: UK charity that redistributes surplus goods to communities in need; a listed Kit4Kenya partner operating the same surplus-to-impact redistribution model.
• The Eleven Foundation: Football-focused charitable foundation listed as a partner of Kit4Kenya, working at the intersection of football and social impact in underserved communities.
• Life Reform Africa: Africa-focused community development organization listed as a Kit4Kenya partner; shares the on-ground Kenyan community engagement footprint.

Others

• Classic Football Shirts: Retailer of heritage football shirts; a Kit4Kenya Experience programme partner providing vouchers to participants, sits adjacent in the football-kit commercial ecosystem.
• Soccer Aid: Biennial UNICEF-backed celebrity football charity match event; not a direct operational competitor but operates in the same football-charity awareness ecosystem that amplifies organizations like Kit4Kenya.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kit4kenya
• Instagraminstagram.com/kit4kenya
• TikToktiktok.com/@kit4kenya
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kit4kenya

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Kit4kenya