Bellway Kent has paid £6,500 for new matchday kit for all 130 Kent Lions Disability FC players, and the club's old strips have gone to a school in Zimbabwe.

Every one of Kent Lions Disability FC’s 130 players will wear a new matchday strip this season, and the kit they have just retired is now being worn by children at a primary school in Zimbabwe.

The Ashford club’s sponsor, housebuilder Bellway, says its Kent division has given £6,500 to pay for new kit across the men’s, women’s and youth teams for the 2026-27 season. The old strips, which Bellway also sponsored, have gone to Chidobe Primary School in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, through Tag Rugby Trust, a charity that gives adults and children in the country the chance to play sport.

A club that started with 17 players

Kent Lions Disability FC was formed five years ago with 17 players. It has grown by word of mouth and now has 130, across men’s, women’s and youth teams, aged from seven to 55. Every player has a disability. The club plays its home matches at John Wallis Church of England Academy in Ashford.

Dan Ambler, the club’s president, said:

“We are extremely grateful to Bellway for their continued support with our club, and for helping to make a meaningful difference to so many individuals with disabilities throughout Kent.

“Our organisation is proud to be sponsored by a company that promotes inclusivity and equality for all individuals, and to also have this opportunity to provide our own gesture of goodwill by supporting student athletes in Zimbabwe.”

Where the old kit went

The club’s previous red and black strips, with the lion badge and the Bellway name still on them, were handed over at the school by Tag Rugby Trust. The pictures the charity sent back show pupils wearing them on a sandy pitch.

A smiling boy at Chidobe Primary School in Zimbabwe wearing a red and black Kent Lions football shirt with the club's lion badge
A Chidobe Primary School pupil in one of the donated Kent Lions shirts. Photo: supplied by Tag Rugby Trust

Mark Harrop, sales director for Bellway Kent, said:

“Our continued sponsorship of Kent Lions Disability FC exemplifies Bellway’s commitment to supporting the local communities where we build. We are proud to sponsor a vibrant and welcoming cornerstone of the local sporting community which reflects our own ethos as an inclusive employer.

“Sustainability sits right at the heart of our business so it is particularly pleasing to see these retired kits are being given a new lease of life in providing opportunities for youngsters in underprivileged communities overseas to take part in the sport.”

A group of pupils sitting and kneeling on red sand, several wearing red and black Kent Lions shirts with the Bellway Kent Division sponsor name, others in navy and yellow tag rugby tops
Pupils at the Tag Rugby Trust handover at Chidobe Primary School, several in the donated Kent Lions kit. Photo: supplied by Tag Rugby Trust

Bellway Kent is based in Kings Hill and is building homes at developments across the county (Bellway Kent).

What it means for you

  • If you play for Kent Lions, the new orange kit is yours for the 2026-27 season, paid for in full by the sponsor.
  • If you know someone with a disability who wants to play football, the club takes players from age seven to 55, in men’s, women’s and youth teams, and plays at home at John Wallis Church of England Academy.
  • If your club is changing its kit, the retired strips need not be binned: Kent Lions’ went to Zimbabwe through Tag Rugby Trust.

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