The RCCL Goal

​The goal of the RCCL is to be the leading platform that leverages football to empower young people and promote conservation in marginalized communities located near national parks and wildlife reserves in rural Africa.

Expanding access to football and conservation opportunities can have a tremendous impact on the lives of young people in rural African communities. In addition to promoting physical fitness and healthy lifestyles, football can also foster important life skills such as teamwork, leadership, and discipline. Meanwhile, conservation initiatives can help to protect local wildlife and ecosystems while providing opportunities for education and sustainable economic development.

By implementing a comprehensive strategy and working closely with local communities, we believe that it is possible to create a sustainable model and we will make a meaningful difference in the lives of young people in rural Africa contributing to the conservation of biodiversity and natural resources in marginalized areas surrounding national parks and wildlife reserves in rural Africa.
​
The connection between rural African youth and wildlife conservation is a crucial one.

Why are we creating the best rural football league in Africa?

​The success of protecting wildlife and improving the livelihoods of those people living next to wildlife rely upon each other.

The RCCL has adopted an unconventional people-centered approach to conservation, whereby conservation is delivered as a means to enrich people's lives, benefiting both conservation and local communities in a much more sustainable and socially-just way.

We believe that harnessing the rhino's currency to create opportunities that provide tangible benefits to youth by supporting activities they value will demonstrate that securing a future for rhinos is also helping enrich lives and livelihoods.

Given the popularity and importance of soccer in Africa, it is hard to imagine a more fitting mechanism to connect youth in rural communities with protecting their rhino by creating a league that is sponsored by and catalyzed from successful and lasting rhino conservation.

In Africa, this is the RCCL.

Our Area of Focus

​The Rhino Cup Champions League (RCCL) is an amateur football league in Africa located in rural communities surrounding national parks and wildlife reserves. 

The league currently has 84 men’s, women’s, and youth teams in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, with over 1,700 players and coaches. Every weekend during the season, over 5,000 players and spectators gather at RCCL football fields enjoying the beautiful game and socializing.

Mozambique Dynamics
The vast majority of men coming to kill rhino within Kruger National Park are unfortunately rural Mozambicans.  They are actively sought after by criminal syndicates because they have honed sophisticated wildlife tracking and hunting skills while growing up in rural African environments. 8 in 10 rhino poachers in Kruger National Park come from Mozambique.

Namibia Dynamics
Namibia’s rural youth is highly marginalized with school drop-out and unemployment rates unacceptably high.  As rhino poaching in Africa is still rife with more than 1 rhino each day being illegally hunted, marginalized youth are often targeted by wildlife crime syndicates as prime poaching recruits.  Home to over 1/3 of Africa’s remaining black rhinos.

Zimbabwe Dynamics
In this remote area of Hwange their is a high unemployment rate, human and wildlife conflict, drought, climate change, high cost of living, high inflation and low self-esteem among other things, have been a great threat to the well-being of the inhabitants of this area that enjoys the highest level of wildlife in Zimbabwe. Hwange National Park is home to Zimbabwe’s largest population of white and black rhinos.

Tanzania Dynamics
Recently a teacher in Pawaga secondary school in Iringa Southern Tanzania was teaching in the class and suddenly, she found all the students looking outside through the windows, it was a group of elephants crossing, they were so excited, to many, it was their first sight, they had never seen an elephant before. Can you an imagine such a school which is very close to the national park, has never got an opportunity to see an elephant? Will they have the feeling that elephants are good creatures? Will they learn to love and protect them?

RCCL Mozambique 2016

Great Limpopo Conservation Area
Kruger National Park

In 2016 the RCCL was founded in Sabié, Mozambique.  Sabié is our flagship location and home to the RCCL headquarters and with the committee of six local individuals, they organize the 7-month season with teams playing games every weekend.

The RCCL Mozambique currently has 24 teams - 14 men’s & 10 women's teams with 528 players and coaches representing 9 communities.

​Kruger National Park
Home to the world’s largest population of white and black rhinos.

RCYCL Namibia 2021

Kunene / Etosha Ecosystem

In 2021 the RCCL partnered with Save The Rhino Trust (SRT) in Namibia to expand their annual World Rhino Day Soccer Tournament into the RCYCL Namibia. The “Y” stands for “Youth”, the addition of the “Y” was a request from the government, and we gladly agreed.

The first RCYCL Division will take place in central part of the north-west Kunene Region.  The area was strategically selected due to its relatively high concentration of rural youth and its proximity to and existing support for rhino conservation.

Northwest Namibia
Home to over 1/3 of Africa’s remaining black rhinos.

RCCL Zimbabwe 2021

Hwange National Park /  Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA)

In 2021 the RCCL partnered with Painted Dog Conservation in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe to expand their annual Veterans Day Soccer Tournament into the RCCL Zimbabwe.

The RCCL Zimbabwe started with 20 men’s teams and training clinics for girls within the Hwange National Park periphery.

Hwange National Park
Home to Zimbabwe’s largest population of white and black rhinos.

RCCL Tanzania 2024

Serengeti Ecosystem

For 2024, the RCCL's goal is to partner with​ Peace for Conservation to expand their annual Peace for Conservation Soccer Tournament into the RCCL Tanzania, home to Mama Serengeti, she is part of the slowly growing Eastern Black Rhino family.

PFC started Soccer for Conservation in 2016 as a platform to promote conservation messages and to investigate a network of poachers in villages close to two protected areas: Serengeti National Park - Western Corridor and Kijereshi Game Reserve

Serengeti & Ngorongoro Tanzania
Home to Mama Serengeti, she is part of the slowly growing Eastern Black Rhino family.

RCCL Impact

The implementation of the RCCL has gone far beyond our expectations. We're witnessing whole communities unite through football, giving a clear and strong statement that this league is only possible because of the rhinos.

On game days, there is no shortage of gratitude and respect for rhinos, making it a win-win situation for both locals and rhinos. The league keeps young people away from alcohol, poaching, and trouble while also encouraging them to be healthier and more active.

The RCCL is working to empower and uplift youth and communities and will continue to spread the message about rhinos and contribute to the development of young people in rural Africa.

The Wild and Free Foundation has grown the RCCL into a thriving amateur football league, making a tremendous impact.

You can help extend the impact and grow the league.​
​Support the RCCL by clicking here #ChangingLives