Faith
Living with dependence on God and seeking to reflect His character in everything we do.
Our Story
What began with a single football tour in 2005 has grown into something far bigger.
Hope Football has grown out of more than twenty years of football ministry, mission, and community engagement through Ambassadors Football Ireland.
The story began in 2005 with a football tour to Senegal and over the following years, regular trips, partnerships, and football initiatives continued to develop in Senegal. Through these experiences, we saw firsthand how football could become a powerful platform for leadership development, discipleship, community engagement, and long-term transformation.
As the work expanded, the vision also grew.
In 2017, Robert and Kyla Cuthbert moved to Senegal full-time to help establish what would become the Hope Football Centre — a growing hub for football development, leadership training, education, and community impact. Since then, the work has continued to grow significantly through football clubs, youth development programmes, leadership initiatives, community relationships, and international partnerships.
Hope Football is being established to provide that foundation.
Throughout this journey, Ambassadors Football Ireland has played a hugely important role in supporting and helping develop the work. The relationship, encouragement, accountability, and partnership built over many years remain deeply valued.
However, as the ministry has continued to expand — particularly in Senegal and now into Congo and other potential future opportunities — it has become clear that the work now requires its own dedicated charity structure in order to build a strong foundation for the future.
- Supporting and strengthening football clubs
- Developing long-term sustainability
- Expanding leadership training
- Building international partnerships
- Supporting staff and projects internationally
- Creating structures that allow the work to grow responsibly and effectively
While Hope Football will operate as its own charity, we continue to work closely with Ambassadors Football Ireland and remain incredibly grateful for the part they have played — and continue to play — in the story.
What began with a single football tour in 2005 has grown into something far bigger than we could have imagined. Step by step, through relationships, faith, and a shared desire to serve communities through football, God has continued to open doors and create opportunities for hope to grow.
And we believe this is still only the beginning.
Our Vision
God-given identity, purpose, and potential.
To see a growing network of people and football initiatives using football to help young people discover their God-given identity, purpose, and potential.
Our Mission
We use football as a platform to:
- Serve communities
- Develop young people
- Raise up leaders
- Create opportunities
- Build meaningful relationships
- Share hope through everyday life and authentic service
Our Approach
Hope Football operates through real football clubs embedded within local communities.
Rather than simply running short-term programmes, we seek to build clubs that:
- Compete locally
- Develop young players
- Train leaders
- Serve communities
- Operate sustainably
- Create long-term impact
Our public profile is intentionally football, education, and community focused, particularly in sensitive regions where overt religious branding can create barriers.
At the same time, our Christian faith remains the foundation of why we serve. Through newsletters, prayer updates, and supporter communication, we share the deeper stories of faith, transformation, and discipleship that shape the work behind the scenes.
Our Values
Faith. Hope. Love.
Hope
Helping young people and communities believe that a different future is possible.
Love
Serving others with humility, compassion, respect, and integrity.