From Lesotho to Wrexham: New Football Scholarship Creates Life-Changing Opportunity

A new international scholarship partnership between Wrexham University, Wrexham AFC Foundation and Lesotho-based organisation Kick4Life will create life-changing educational opportunities for young people from Lesotho through the power of football.

Launched on World Football Giving Day, the initiative will enable two young people from Kick4Life’s programmes in Lesotho to study at Wrexham University in North Wales over the next four years, with all tuition fees fully funded by the University.

The organisations are now raising funds to support travel and living costs for the first student to benefit from the programme, 20-year-old Seabata Tsemane, who is set to begin his studies in Wrexham in 2026.

Seabata has received a conditional offer to join the Foundation Degree in Football and Community Development, a two-year programme that combines coaching, leadership, community engagement and industry experience. Alongside his studies, he will have opportunities to work with Wrexham AFC Foundation, gain professional qualifications and contribute to community projects across North Wales.

For Seabata, the scholarship represents the next chapter in a journey that began more than a decade ago.

He joined Kick4Life’s football and education academy in 2014 and has since developed through the organisation’s academic and football programmes. He is currently completing a six-month internship within Kick4Life’s community programmes department, helping deliver projects designed to support young people and local communities across Lesotho.

Seabata says: “Growing up in Lesotho, my family and I experienced poor social and economic conditions, and I knew from an early age that I would need to work very hard in order to alter the course of our lives. For this reason, I came to appreciate the importance of education, as a necessary tool to help me achieve my goals. The opportunity to study at Wrexham University, including a placement at Wrexham AFC Foundation, presents a life-changing opportunity to shape my career as a coach, and to nurture my interest in how football can be used strategically to promote social justice, raise awareness of social issues, and strengthen community cohesion."

The scholarship forms part of the growing partnership between Wrexham AFC and Kick4Life FC, which builds on the long-standing connection between Wales and Lesotho dating back to 1985. A number of exchange visits involving young leaders from both organisations have already taken place, with further visits planned over the next two years with support from the UEFA Foundation for Children.

Steve Fleming MBE, Co-founder of Kick4Life, said the scholarship would create “genuinely life-changing opportunities” for young people involved in the programme.

He said: “We are incredibly grateful for the support of Wrexham University and Wrexham AFC in making this scholarship possible. It will empower young people with the skills, knowledge and qualifications to pursue their dreams and give back to their communities.”

Sara Hilton, Programme Leader for the Foundation Degree in Football and Community Development at Wrexham University, said the partnership demonstrated how football could create opportunities beyond the game itself.

She said: “We are incredibly proud to support Seabata’s journey from Lesotho to Wrexham through this scholarship. We hope the partnership with Kick4Life not only creates life-changing opportunities for the young people involved, but also strengthens the connection between our communities and highlights the positive impact football can have globally.”

Jamie Edwards, Head of the Wrexham Foundation, said: “We are delighted that two young people from Lesotho will have the opportunity to study at Wrexham University on the Football and Community Development Foundation Degree. We look forward to welcoming them into our Foundation and seeing them engage meaningfully with our local community.

“This collaboration further strengthens our partnership with Kick4Life and Wrexham University, and reflects the Football Club’s commitment to being proudly rooted in Wrexham while creating positive impact both locally and globally.”

World Football Giving Day, founded by Common Goal, is a shared global moment when the football community comes together to recognise and activate the game’s unique power to connect people and inspire action for good. Taking place each year on 26th May, it mobilises football’s reach, culture and collective influence to give back, supporting initiatives that create positive change in communities around the world.