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Roberto Gil Gómez, president of Club Atlético Marbellí. JOSELE
Club Atlético Marbellí and their 'boot bank' for disadvantaged children

Club Atlético Marbellí and their 'boot bank' for disadvantaged children

Donors and beneficiaries alike can go to their provisional facilities outside the Antonio Serrano Lima sports complex

Joaquina Dueñas

Monday, 31 January 2022, 13:45

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Since it was founded in 2006, local football team Club Atlético Marbellí has always had children's best interest at heart. Since its inception, this club has had a 'boot bank' open so that any child can practise this sport.

Roberto Gil Gómez, the club's president, explained: "Since we founded the club, we've always had charitable initiatives. There were always a lot of children without boots or shinpads, which are fundamental pieces of equipment to be able to play football."

So they decided to find a solution and they talked to the rest of the players so that when their equipment was too small they would give it in to help others who might need it. It was Roberto's father and well-known local figure, Salvador Gil Machuca, known as Moñi, who came up with the idea.

"He was already doing it when he had his sports shop, lending boots to trusted parents so that their kids could play football and later they would or wouldn't pay for them," Roberto said of his father. "Now, we're doing something similar. People gift us boots and we, in turn, gift them back to whoever needs them," he said.

It has been a successful initiative, with the boot bank now having up to 100 pairs of all sizes and for all pitch surfaces, as well as shinpads and goalkeeper gloves. "People have collaborated a lot and we have boots of all sizes. We're offering them not only to kids at our club, but to anyone who may need them," Roberto explained.

Since the closure of Atlético Marbellí's football ground, the club is provisionally located at the facilities outside of the Antonio Serrano Lima sports complex. They can be found there from Monday to Thursday, from 6.30-8.30pm.

Since the start of the pandemic, this altruistic initiative has an extra step: disinfecting all the clothing items using specific cleaning products.

Moreover, the club has a 'grant' system for youngsters who cannot afford to pay their inscription into the club. "We can adapt ourselves to whatever a family needs, you can pay all at once or in instalments. But even then, if someone can't afford it, we have sponsors who will donate money to pay for those inscriptions." The idea behind it is that no one should mis out on practising their favourite sport due to a lack of money.

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