Blues help young Darfur players

Whistles and balls will be among equipment bought

Birmingham City Football Club is helping about 2,200 children who fled the Darfur conflict to play football.

The children will be given football kit and equipment for their league matches in refugee camps in eastern Chad.

The Blues chose Leamington Spa charity Cord to be awarded £2,000 as part of the Premier League's Creating Chances community programme.

Cord director Michael Godfrey said the contribution would make a "wonderful difference" to what can be achieved.

"Despite the intense heat of around 45 degrees and the dust from the sand, our football league flourishes, with some real talent," he said.

"Many of the teams play barefoot and with makeshift goalposts, so this money will be spent on everything, from whistles to decent balls."

Cord said 70% of the 80,000 Sudanese refugees it worked with were under 18.

The Warwickshire-based charity, which works in four camps in eastern Chad, said sport and school were the "main focus" in the day of the young refugees, many of who were orphans.