We spoke to Nade Ward, co-founder of Socker Share, a fantastic initiative helping people in Santa Lucia enjoy playing the beautiful game.
How did Socker Share first start and what was the inspiration behind the initial idea?
The idea came from taking part in a charity volunteer project during summer 2019, where I coached football to children and vulnerable adults in Saint Lucia for United Through Sport. I found that, at most of my sessions, children were having to play football in bare feet, but this wasn’t because they didn’t have any boots to wear, it was actually because they didn't have any socks to wear with their boots. This highlighted something that is a common problem for most sports charities around the world – they receive boot donations, but never any socks.
When I returned home, I spoke to my cousin Connor (who has a background in E-commerce) and he was as shocked as I was about the issue. We took inspiration from the phrase “if not you, then who?” and decided that we would try and fix this problem, using a buy one give one model, we are on a mission to provide children with clean and comfortable socks so that they can wear football boots without damaging their feet.
It's a really lovely story and is fantastic to see you using football as a channel to make a difference to children's lives, what would you say is your proudest achievement to date?
Our proudest achievement to date has to be the number of socks that we have sold/donated! We exist to make a difference and to have so many people playing their part in helping those in need is absolutely amazing – our community is awesome. Other things that have also made us incredibly proud are launching Socker Share, because to see nearly a year of hard work and planning finally become a reality is a feeling like no other, and also securing our first corporate sponsors and brand ambassadors, because I think that shows just how serious we are about taking Socker Share forwards and growing the brand to help even more people.
What are some of your plans for the future?
This summer, we will have a new edition out - another country has been confirmed and the socks are being made as we speak! We will also soon become sponsors of a local grassroots club, who we intend to work with in providing educational workshops to players, parents and coaches about our mission. This is then something we would like to do with even more people and sports clubs – our voice and experience is powerful, once covid is over we want people to hear it.
How can people support you and make a difference?
To purchase and donate a pair of socks, simply visit our website www.sockershare.co.uk! You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter - @SockerShare. We are building an incredible community and would love for you to join us!