Over 800 tops.
150 hats.
150 scarves.
15-20 Tracksuits.
50-60 pairs of sliders.
Six sets of matchday kit.
That is a lot of stock.
At the end of every season, like many football clubs, we have a lot of gear that needed to find a new home, and last summer, it found a rather unlikely one some 4000 miles away.
Tommy Nyama Jr, 41, is a former non-league player and current non-league coach for Met Police FC, Pro Direct Surrey, and TKBAR Academy.
Tommy coaching as part of TKBAR Academy - 2022
Now based in West London, Nyama was connected with members of HRBFC by working in the area, and when he heard about the kit, he was very interested.
Nyama initially came to the UK twenty years ago from his native Sierra Leone to pursue higher education as well as continue playing football at as high a level he could.
His journey took him to Sweden to play professionally as well as Bromley, and other non-league clubs in England.
After finishing his playing career, he knew he wanted to give back.
“I came from a place with not a lot of opportunity, and I went through a lot, and there’s a lot of children who are in the situation I was, and that is why I had to form TKBAR.”
TK Born and Raised (TKBAR) is a football charity established in both the UK and West Africa started by Nyama in 2018 which provides both football training and educational opportunities to children and teenagers.
The charity is based in Nyama’s hometown of Makeni, the largest city in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone, but since its inception it has grown all over the country as well as into neighbouring countries Guinea and Ghana, with official TKBAR bases in another Sierra Leonean city called Lungi as well as in the Ghanaian capital of Accra.
As well as operating in Makeni in the north and Lungi in the West, Nyama has also worked in Port Loko and Lunsar and beyond.
Nyama is always looking for ways to develop and progress his charity both on the pitch and in the classroom, whether that is by building an education centre as he did recently, providing supplies like cones and footballs, or even clothing, like some non-league kit.
Nyama came by in the summer and had to make three trips with the club van to transport all the HRBFC kit to his house before getting it ready to send off.
Nyama picking up the HRBFC gear in June 2025 
The Hampton & Richmond Borough kit finally arrived in Sierra Leone after a long and expensive shipping process in November 2025.
It was distributed at many stops along a five-week road trip Nyama undertook in December 2025, where the HRBFC crest is now brandished in schools, football pitches, and communities all over the country.
Nyama estimates in total, the gear has been distributed to over 1,000 people, with 300 still in storage.
A distribution point for the wider community of Rogbom Kasama, a suburb of Makeni, druing Tommy's December 2025 trip.
Nyama also offered coaching sessions to the teams in the communities he traveled to and hosted a minicamp of the best players to form an elite youth squad, seen here wearing our white kit from last season.
HRBFC wanted to hear from of those now proudly sporting our crest, and the club sat down with Nyama and members of TKBAR to discuss the impact of the kit and support from England.
Members of TKBAR who spoke to HRBFC in March, Musa is far left, Paul is second in front the right, Osman is third in from the right.
Paul, 18, is one of the oldest players in the academy, joining when he was 11. As well as playing in the Sierra Leone Premier League for two years, in August 2024 he traveled to Ghana with a TKBAR team to compete in Cheetah Cup, a U-17 tournament for 24 clubs from thirteen countries all over West Africa to showcase their talent on a bigger stage.
It was the first time ever a Sierra Leonean academy had travelled for an international tournament, and they were visited by the vice president of the Sierra Leone FA Harold Nat-Johnson.
The then-vice president of the SFA Harrold Nat-Johnson presenting John B Koroma with a man of the match award at the Cheetah Tournament. Koroma was one of the original children involved at TKBAR and is now playing in the top division of the Sierra Leone National Premier League.
Unfortunately, Paul suffered a broken leg at the tournament and has not been able to play since, but he still looks back on the trip as a “great learning experience, seeing how other teams and players play and how we can bring that back home”.
Despite his injury, his involvement with TKBAR has not wavered. As a relative elder statesman, Paul took on a leadership role, mentoring and coaching younger kids while continuing his education. He was also part of the group who helped Nyama distribute our kit.
“I’ve been putting them [the items of clothing] on since they were handed out, and in the communit[ies of Makeni, Lungi, Freetown, and Lunsar,] handing them out, boosts my morale and the confidence around the community.”
“Some of them have asked me if I got a pro-contract because they’d never seen something so professional!”
On the pitch, Paul mentioned “We have worn the kits in our league and are first in the table”
When asked if our colours were a good luck charm, Paul answered, “absolutely!”
The combination of coaching prowess and kit and supplies from English football not only builds TKBAR’s reputation on the pitch, Paul mentioned, but the distribution of over 600 kits throughout the wider community to everyone, not just those in TKBAR teams or classes, means TKBAR and by association the HRBFC badge has come to represent a real positive force for change in Makeni and beyond.
Osman, 12, is affectionally nicknamed “The Young Admin”, and speaking to us in our blue away strip, we were quick to find out why.
Osman has been with the academy for four years, a quarter of his life, and has already made a big impact.
“At that time [in 2022 when he first joined] we were not plenty, there were only three of us, my companions, I told them to come and join me, and now we are over 20 [in his age group in both the football and education set-ups].”
Nyama added, laughing, “He’s quite a popular boy in the area, he’s quite intelligent and good at getting people to join.”
Musa, 20, is an academy director, teacher and community leader in the neighbouring Rogbom Kasama area, who works with the kids both on and off the pitch, including one of his own children. When asked about the importance of both, he said,
“One cannot go without the other. That is why we take the teams to the classroom and tell them about the importance that education has to their football career as well as in general.”
School Children at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Rogbom Kasama
“The importance of these kits is very great. Not only It has added value to the players’ and the communities’ experience, but it has allowed us to reach more people” both with the material goods but also the opportunities TKBAR provides.”
Nyama sat in on all the interviews, and at the end wanted to thank HRBFC for its help,
“They helped me with all the logistics, helped with the van.”
He then added,
“Seeing them [the people interviewed] using the kit and hearing these stories is very emotional for me. Hearing them speak it is [as if] I’m speaking, because I know where I came from and what it’s like. I know what it means and how important a kit is and can be to certain people.”
Nyama during his most recent visit to Sierra Leone in April 26
We hope this is just the beginning of a long connection between TKBAR and Hampton & Richmond Borough Football Club and we look forward to providing donation links via QR codes and donation bins for fans to donate their old football kit, boots, and equipment to the TKBAR cause during our final match of the season versus Enfield Town on April 25th!
Tickets for that one can be found HERE!
See HERE for a donation link and HERE to learn more about Tommy's great work!
By Jack Lonergan