Celebrating 20 Years of Partnership: Sport in Action and The Wallace Group

Sport in Action and the Wallace Group celebrated twenty years of joint work, an alliance built on a shared commitment to youth empowerment, community participation, and sporting excellence. What began as a vision two decades ago has today become a collaboration that continues to transform lives and strengthen communities across Zambia.

From August 3rd to 7th, the Twentieth Anniversary Gala an opportunity to look back with pride on the achievements accomplished, and a moment to find inspiration and motivation for the next 20 years, and hopefully many more, of action.

A Journey of Two Decades
What started as small community initiatives has evolved into a movement with broad national representation, influencing schools, clubs, and communities throughout Zambia. For twenty years, Sport in Action and the Wallace Group have worked hand in hand to strengthen grassroots sport, foster leadership development, and promote community empowerment.

This journey has been defined by tireless efforts of countless young people, coaches, student volunteers, and partners who believe in the transformative power of sport.

The TAG Event: A Celebration of Growth
We celebrated sport with a mega basketball and netball tournament in Choma, the capital of Zambia’s Southern Province, a city known for its cultural vitality and its role as a meeting point for both rural and urban communities. Choma became the perfect stage to bring together young athletes, families, and coaches, showing how sport can connect diverse realities and spark community pride.

In Lusaka, at the OlympAfrica facilities, a sports hub that supports young people by providing accessible spaces and promoting the Olympic values of excellence, friendship, and respect. The celebration continued with thrilling tournaments in basketball, netball, and football. It was a large-scale event that still managed to preserve its inclusive spirit, with an outstanding participation of girls and young women.

In both tournaments, more than one thousand people took part in the celebration, including 838 young athletes, 634 of them women, who displayed talent, discipline, and passion. From the youngest aged 12 and 13 to those reaching 16, a total of 820 players embodied the future of Zambian sport. Backing them were 109 teams supported by 183 committed coaches, with competitions and activities spread across 20 venues that kept the sporting spirit alive throughout the commemoration.

The TAG2025 made it clear that sport belongs to everyone and remains a powerful force for inclusion and social empowerment.

Milestones that Defined the Celebration

Several moments ensured this anniversary would be long remembered. The arrival of Macron, a renowned Italian sportswear brand, filled us with pride as a sponsor, recognizing both the talent of Zambian sport and the positive impact of our community programs. As well as the signing of an agreement with World Netball, the international governing body of the sport that organizes the World Cup and youth tournaments, opening new pathways for Zambian athletes, coaches, and administrators while positioning our netball on the global stage.

We celebrated the enthusiasm of the 95 new participants who joined the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, a global program that encourages young people to develop through challenges such as volunteering, physical activity, skills, expeditions, and residential projects, while others received their certificates as recognition of their leadership, service, and resilience. And not least, more than K10,440 were invested in entrepreneurship initiatives by the Adderstone Group Foundation, reaffirming that our young people do not only aspire to excel in sport, but also to become leaders in business and in their communities.

Reflections on Impact

Sport is a key driver of mobilization, significantly expanding opportunities for social development impact. Added to this are the inherent lessons that sport leaves us with: discipline, teamwork, and transferable life skills.

Behind every statistic lies a story of growth, the hundreds of girls who took part represent a future where gender equity in sport is a reality, the hundreds of under-12 and under-16 participants are a new generation discovering the joy and discipline that sport brings, the coaches, volunteers, and partners show what is possible when communities unite around a greater purpose.

The success of the Twentieth Anniversary did not belong to us alone. It belonged to the young people who showed courage on the field, to the partners who believed in our vision, and to the communities that continue to embrace the power of sport as a tool for social change.

Looking Ahead
As we close this chapter and look ahead to the next twenty years, Sport in Action reaffirms its mission of using sport as a tool for development, empowerment, and unity. Together with the Wallace Group, and supported by our new partners —World Netball, the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Zambia, and Macron— along with our communities, we are ready to expand our reach, deepen our impact, and build a brighter future for the next generation.

This commitment goes beyond our own initiatives: it also contributes to government efforts in key areas such as youth, sport, health, and education, demonstrating that sport can and should be central to sustainable development policies.

We are grateful to all who have been part of this journey, from athletes and coaches to local and international allies, because these two decades have shown what is possible when we work together. If our shared history teaches us anything, it is that the future holds even greater promise.

Twenty years on, our story is still being written. And with every partnership, every event, and every young life touched, we are building a legacy that will endure for generations.