The Shooting Stars Sports Club is a community-based club with 15 members based in Mabombo Village, under Chief Chikanta in Kalomo District, Southern Province of Zambia. Initially established to participate in local village league sports, the club faced persistent financial challenges that limited its ability to cover basic administrative costs and sustain its activities.
Recognizing these challenges, the club joined the Rural Sports for Development Program,implemented by Response Network in partnership with NIF. The program uses sport as a strategic entry point for community development, leadership building, and economic empowerment.
Through targeted mentorship and capacity-building support, the Shooting Stars Sports
Club strengthened its technical sports skills, successfully affiliated with the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), and secured a land agreement forits sporting facilities—an important milestone for the club’s development.
A key outcome of the program has been the club’s transition toward financial sustainability through income-generating activities. As a result of self-help and livelihood training provided under the program, the club has established a small-scale livestock initiative. To date, the club owns 11 goats and 50 chickens, with clear plans to expand these assets to generate income for administrative and operational costs.
The club leadership has expressed profound appreciation for the program’s holistic approach, noting that the integration of sports development with livelihood support has placed the club on a path toward self-reliance. The Shooting Stars Sports Club now serves as an example of how community sports initiatives, when supported with appropriate development interventions, can evolve into sustainable local institutions.
This initiative demonstrates the impact of strategic partnerships and donor support in strengthening grassroots sports organizations while contributing to broader community development.