Who We Are

We are a group of ex-players using our love of football to make a positive change in the lives of young people and the community.

History

YABAC (Young and Black and Christian) Football Club was founded in 1969 by the Balham 7th Day Adventist Church. The late Ben Lilley was the first manager, followed by George Cascoe and Leonard ‘Budgie’ Carr’. Playing in the Premier Division, it was the only black football club at that level. For over twenty years the club was a competitive force on the pitch, and a thriving community off the field. Play stopped in the early 1990s but YABAC has continued to be an active football-loving family, growing from one generation into the next. The club’s name has also evolved, standing for Young and Black and Cool for many years, before becoming Young and Black and Cultured, which it proudly stands for today.

The YABAC F.C. Community Group was established in early 2022 as a not-for-profit organisation to support community initiatives. It was born after meeting on several occasions to celebrate the lives of past players and club members. To honour their memory and the club’s legacy, a group of ex-players decided to reconnect the YABAC community, with a view to using their collective football passion to help the south London community they know and love.

Mission Statement

We are ex-players / members of YABAC football club formed in 1969 and have decided to create a not-for-profit community organisation. Our aim and objective will be to support local communities and organisations in order to make positive change for young lives.

Through our love of football, we have formed friendships and support systems, some of which remain since the club was formed and many in excess of 40 years.

We have previously held events and donated the proceeds to charity.

However, we now wish to have a more formal structure, whereby we can organise events and thereafter donate sports equipment, in addition to sponsoring young people and building partnerships with education and mentoring groups in order to achieve our objective of making a positive change for young lives.

A Word From Our Manager

I’m so happy this rebirth of YABAC has taken place. Since its creation over 50 years ago, YABAC has overcome many challenges, leaning on each other as a community, not just as a football team, but also socially. It’s quite an achievement that we still exist today in the form of this community organisation which plans to develop and share our experience to service our community, and support young lives
George Cascoe, YABAC FC Senior Team Manager