2011
AsiaEurope Football Festival, The Gambia
Taking the AsiaEurope Football Festival to West Africa
Building on the establishment of the AsiaEurope Football Academy in The Gambia, Majid Lavji expanded the project in 2011 by bringing the AsiaEurope Football Festival concept to the country.
The festival brought together young players, academy teams, local clubs, coaches and football organisations, creating a competitive football environment while providing opportunities for young Gambian players to participate, develop and showcase their ability.
Teams line up, March 2011 
Presentations at the festival, March 2011 
The Point (Banjul) — “Banjul Mini-Stadium hosts Asia Europe Mini-Football festival”, with the tournament results in full
The project took the philosophy behind the original AsiaEurope Football Festivals — using football to create opportunity and bring people together — and adapted it to the local football community in West Africa.
For Majid, the festival was also about building sustainable relationships rather than simply staging a one-off tournament. Working alongside local football stakeholders helped strengthen AsiaEurope's presence in The Gambia and develop deeper connections across youth football, academies and the country's wider football structure.
By this stage, AsiaEurope had evolved from organising football tournaments in the UK into an organisation capable of establishing academies and delivering football-development programmes internationally, with activity spanning Europe and Africa.
The work in The Gambia would become an important part of Majid's international football experience and helped strengthen the relationships he developed within Gambian football.
Banjul, 2011
In 2011, the AsiaEurope football programme staged youth football festival in Banjul involving academy teams and local football organisations.
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If any of this experience is relevant to a challenge or opportunity at your club, Majid is happy to have a confidential conversation.