Kente leather rugby ball
In all honesty, we never thought we’d end up extolling the virtues of a ball, but life will throw surprises at you (and also balls). But Alive and Kicking’s balls are worth getting excited about. Each one is handmade in sub-Saharan Africa, creating stable jobs with fair pay, sick leave, paid holiday and pension schemes.
This rugby ball is one of the more stylish ones we’ve seen, with a pattern based on Ghanian Kente cloth.
We know of one young man who thinks his Alive and Kicking ball far too good for a casual kick about and instead keeps it on a shelf, waiting for a worthy game.
We’re also keen on their cause, where they don’t just create jobs, but fair jobs with benefits. That matters. The company has also added over half a million pounds to the economies of the countries where Alive and Kicking’s workforce are employed.
Leather size 1 ball.
Made in Kenya. All the materials – leather, cotton sheets, thread, wax, latex, glue – are sourced locally, with the exception of the bladders that go into the balls.
Alive & Kicking
Alive & Kicking is the world’s only not-for-profit ball maker, producing properly fancy footballs and creating jobs in sub-Saharan Africa.
They’ve made nearly one million balls since 2004, and contributed £5,013,416 to local economies in Ghana, Kenya and Zambia. Of their staff, 90% had never held a formal job before. Plus, they also have a scheme where they give footballs to local kids: 178,930 balls to be precise.
