CitySports Foundation, the social impact and community development arm of CitySports Africa, has unveiled its flagship “1,000 Boots Project.”
The new youth-empowerment initiative will distribute free football boots to underserved children and provide leadership support and sports development opportunities.
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The maiden edition will take place on 23 December at the National Stadium, Surulere, where more than 1,000 boys and girls are expected to benefit.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, the Chief Executive Officer of CitySports Africa, Shola Opaleye, said the initiative was created to remove a barrier that continues to hold back millions of talented young players across the continent.
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“You are giving him dignity. You are giving him access. And you are also giving him the right to start to dream,” he said.
“Because all the while, the dream has always been somewhere, but you can’t move to the next step because the tools are not available.”
Continental expansion
Mr Opaleye said the programme, which begins in Lagos, is designed for continental expansion.
“Beyond Nigeria, we have this programme. We’re starting now in Lagos. This is the first time we’re doing this, and we’re grateful for your support and for the people who have backed it up until now. We intend to go across Africa,” he said.
He noted that millions of young Africans play football weekly—often barefoot or with improvised footwear—despite the sport being the continent’s most powerful platform for youth engagement. “Talent is everywhere,” he reaffirmed, “but what they just lack is access.”
To underscore the project’s potential impact, Mr Opaleye cited the early struggles of Senegalese star Sadio Mané, who once attended a trial in torn shorts and without boots before a coach offered him his first proper pair—an intervention he described as life-changing.
“Somewhere in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal or Rwanda, there is another Mané, a child whose destiny can change with a single pair of boots,” he added.
Mr Opaleye also underlined CitySports Africa’s long-term commitment to youth empowerment through sports.
“CitySports, we have a goal. The target for us is that every year, we want to impact one million youth through sports positively—empower one million youth through sports,” he said. “By 2035, we want to empower 10 million youth through sports.”
He explained that the 1,000 Boots Project is one of the new tools designed to help reach that target.
“This 1,000 Boots Project that is starting now is one of the tools I put together this year for the first time to help us achieve that. Tomorrow it may be 10,000 boots. It may be 50,000. Before you know it, we could have given out one million boots to African boys and girls. But this is the beginning of what we believe is a great journey.”
CitySports Africa said the 23 December event will include skill sessions, leadership engagements, and a community AFCON viewing experience made possible by TotalEnergies.
More than 2,000 children, parents, youth leaders, coaches and volunteers are expected to attend. Crowd-control teams, medical personnel and security officers will be deployed to ensure safety.
Mr Opaleye stressed that no beneficiaries were pre-selected.
“We have zero slots set already. Just show up on that day,” he said, adding that the distribution system would be carefully managed to prevent overcrowding.
More support
He also issued a direct call for community and media support.
“We have people who have supported us, but we also need more of your support,” he said. “The press in particular, you know, the way you can support us—just amplify our voices, as you’ve always done. Put us on your statuses and social media handles, both personal and corporate. It’s a collective thing. It’s not a CitySports thing. We’re just the ones initiating and driving it.”
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Appealing to corporate bodies, NGOs and individuals, he added:
“We need to help these young people. The least we can do—if we have the means—is to contribute. It’s not just about money. Some have cameras, some have voices. Other organisations can fund boots. Others can fund food or Christmas activities. TotalEnergies has given us the screen, just to make it a memorable day so that these children leave knowing they’ve been identified and cared for.”
CitySports Africa plans to scale the boot-distribution programme beyond Lagos starting in 2026, with steps already underway to make it a quarterly event beginning in 2027
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