AFC Camden beat Slade Green Knights U21s in the opening round of the London Sunday Junior Cup

IT’S a “sponsorship hook-up” with the goal of helping to shine a light on all the good work that a much-loved sports charity is currently doing across the capital.

The hierarchy running amateur football club AFC Camden don’t pick the messages that get emblazoned on the front of their shirts lightly.

The club had “Support the NHS” during the Covid outbreak, and “Black Lives Matter” to reflect the times when they formed in 2020.

This season, AFC Camden’s unmissable bright designs will feature the London Inclusion Sports Academy — better known as LISA.

The organisation, founded by Tom Coughlan with support from Ben Dorsett, provides free community sports, health and education programmes. They already have an action-packed schedule in place across Camden, Islington and Westminster, hosting a wide range of activities including athletics, dance, football, basketball and tennis.

Ben, who works for Camden Council’s Sport and Physical Activity Service, explained: “We work with young people and adults who may not find mainstream sports accessible, including those with disabilities, long-term health conditions and other complex needs.

“We love inclusion. We want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to be active, socialise and make new friends in a fun, safe and supportive environment.”

When possible, players from AFC Camden pitch in to help coach the odd football session or two. Stressing the club’s strong support for LISA, chair Patrick Kavanagh said: “We teamed up with LISA because the work they do is honestly amazing.

“I first met Tom and Ben through playing football at the Talacre Community Sports Center in Kentish Town, and that’s how I found out about everything they were doing.

“They’re really nice guys, and once we’d been along to a few of their sessions, we not only had a great time but also got to see first-hand the brilliant, welcoming community that they have built.

“The games we’ve played together – mixing our players with theirs – have been properly competitive.”

He added: “When we started this club during Covid, we got a tiny taste of how frustrating it can be to have football taken away, and while that’s obviously not the same as the barriers many people face, it gave us an insight into just how important it is to keep the game open to everyone.”

LISA was certainly given a prominent platform at the weekend when AFC Camden sported their new colours in a 5-1 victory over Slade Green Knights U21s Youths in the opening round of the London FA Sunday Junior Cup.

The visitors took the lead at Hackney Marshes, but AFC Camden quickly equalised when match captain Ramone Bedi powered home a header from a corner won and then delivered by Toby Reynolds.

James McKinnon, dubbed the club’s “Swiss Army Knife” due to his incisive versatility in playing across several positions, then stole the show with a scintillating hat-trick.

Stanley Kavanagh also scored from the spot as the Camden Sunday League outfit made it two wins from three outings so far this season.

Echoing the chairman’s support for LISA, AFC Camden secretary Ahmed Faidi said: “Football isn’t always the most inclusive sport, but we think everyone should get the chance to play and enjoy it.

“As a bunch of mates who have been lucky enough to just rock up and play without needing the kind of support and infrastructure that organisations like LISA provide, we felt it was important to do our bit and back the opportunities they are creating.”