SUTTON UNITED GAMBIA FC

Club History

(Click here for 2011 Results & Reports)

With new evidence surfacing, the club’s formation could be traced back in 1997 under the name NEW FIGHTERS, but very

little is known about the club’s history under the team’s original name NEW FIGHTERS. However it was in July 1999 when

Father Andrew Cole inherited a team of young teenagers called Young Stars FC which was an incorporation of NEW

FIGHTERS. The members of the team at the time consisted of the lads living in the area and Father Andrew Cole, seeing the

unity and potential in these young talented kids offered to become their manager and in exchange, the kids had to offer to

attend his weekend Bible study group. Fr. Cole’s initial interests was actually in the educational welfare of the kids, and

fore-seeing football as a medium took advantage of their passion for the game and that’s how Sanchaba United came about.

Before being renamed Sanchaba United, the team joined a tournament under the Young Stars FC name and, to everyone’s

delight, ended up winning the trophy. That was when Fr. Cole decided to take the team further by inviting every lad with football

skills in the whole of the down-town area to join, regardless of the different religions. Now because the ‘new’ team consisted of

lads from all over the down-town neighborhood, the team adopted the name Sanchaba United meaning “Down-town” in the local

Mandinka language. Slowly but surely the young club started winning the hearts of most of the local people and unpredictably

soon afterwards, the neighborhood residents started following the team in numbers everywhere it played and starting putting

hands together in either offering help through donations or just simply canceling all their plans on Sundays to watch the team

in action

Then, on or about the year 2005 an English visitor known only as Walter appeared on the scene and took the team to his

heart. He made an instant impact on the team by donating a few but much needed materials including a set of kits, four balls

and five pairs of football boots. Another opinion varies among fans that he did in addition, made a handsome financial donation

to the club but there’s no evidence to this claim. Before leaving, Walter made a suggestion to the club to be renamed but this

time, after his own local side back in England… SUTTON UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB.

2011 Team Photo to follow....