Who We Are
Our Story
Samba Foundation FC is a charity football team built on old friendships, new memories, and a simple idea, use football to do some good.
It all started over 20 years ago in the Edinburgh amateur leagues. A group of mates got new yellow strips and decided to call ourselves SSS, Sunday Samba Superstars. We played for a few years, then life moved on, people had families, and the team slowly drifted apart.
Around 2018, everything changed. One of the lads’ mums, Linda, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. To support her, we got the old team back together and rejoined the Edinburgh amateur leagues. It was not just about playing again, we wanted to raise awareness and money for charity. We pulled on yellow strips once more, this time as MacMillan Samba.
Linda quickly became MacMillan Samba’s biggest fan. She came to as many games as she could, even when her health was poor. She was always there with a big smile and a positive spirit, right up until the day she sadly passed away. A lot of what we do now is in her memory.
Over those seasons we played league football and a lot of charity matches. We did not track every game or every donation, but we know the total raised over those six or so years would be well over £15,000. Looking back, we wish we had written it all down from the start.
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After four seasons back in the amateur leagues, we decided to step away from league football and focus fully on charity games. It lets us keep in touch with old friends, enjoy our football, and make sure every match has a purpose.
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Since then we have organised fixtures at different grounds across Scotland. Highlights include:
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July 2023 at Craigroyston FC, where we raised £500 for Cancer Research.
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March 2024 at Falkirk FC, a game focused on fitness and mental health for the lads rather than fundraising.
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May 2024 at Easter Road, home of Hibernian FC, where we raised £1,639 for the Hibs Foundation.
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Our aim now is simple. We want to play three or four charity matches each year, at as many different venues and stadiums as we can. Over time, we would love to play at every Scottish club’s ground, and one day walk out at Hampden too.
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Samba Foundation FC is our way of staying connected, remembering the people who meant so much to us, and raising money for causes that really need support. This website helps us share our story, our matches, our stats, and the charities we are proud to stand beside.