Pretty simple - I am a 23-year-old with two passions. First is football. Ever since I was able to walk, I have been kicking a ball; from my local club at u6 level, through school, into university, and beyond. Along that journey, football gave me people to meet, a place to be myself, and time to forget everything.

My other passion is nature and conservation. I grew up with a family living and breathing biology - my mother worked in Natural History film-making, and my aunt, living in Zambia, worked in a safari lodge throughout my childhood. Biology very quickly became my favourite subject, and I was able to take these interests through school and into a Natural Sciences BSc at Durham University.

However, after university, I was so ready to do something different. A long-standing relationship with a charity in Zambia called Project Luangwa gave me the perfect opportunity. Over the next year, I spent over six months in Zambia, working with young adults on a foundation programme to develop their life skills, and for the Zambian Carnivore Programme, a conservation NGO in the local National Park. But what really gripped me about Zambia was the people. They welcomed me into their lives and their community, and made me feel very much at home.

And that brings me back to football. Through coaching in Mfuwe, I got to experience the other side of what I had, and be part of creating the enjoyment and fun that football can bring to everyone, especially children. It was there I realised I wanted to work in sport, and so to deepen my understanding of the impact sport could have, I studied an MSc in Sustainable Sport Business at Loughborough University. The course allowed me to dive into sport-for-development and social change, and I loved it, partially because of being back in the UK with my friends, and having all the comforts of home. However, I had (and still have) this nagging feeling that where I can really make a difference in the world is in Zambia. That feeling remains, and the thought of moving on from that and conforming to London life is something I find really difficult.

And that, in short, is what has brought me to this moment, and this project - a chance to give children in Zambia a small part of what I was so lucky to have growing up.

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Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you are interested or would like to know more. It would be great to hear from you.

Thank you.

Email: zumacdermot8@gmail.com

A bit more about me: