Chairman’s Challenge

Ever since becoming involved with Sheffield FC, Chairman Richard Tims has relished a challenge. These normally find him pursuing partners to secure much needed sponsorship and funding for the World’s First Football Club, or raising the club’s profile domestically and internationally. This time, however, he is taking on a mountainous task as he prepares to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in July 2011. At 19,298ft, Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest freestanding one anywhere in the World!

Richard’s attempt will not be the first time a football club chairman has tried to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro. In September 2009 Chelsea billionaire chairman, Roman Abramovich,decided to tackle the mountain at the western breach, its most difficult approach. Most people who climb Kilimanjaro - known as the ‘Roof of Africa’ – use an easier ascent, dismissed by mountaineering experts as the ‘Coca-Cola route’ as it is used by tourists. The expedition however had to be cancelled at 15,100ft after Abramovich apparently succumbed to altitude sickness and needed medical attention. It is believed that the party failed to undergo the usual seven-day acclimatisation period to adapt to the climate and the low air pressure.

Many people now climb Kilimanjaro every year and no attempt has been more publicised than the highly successful expedition that commenced on 27 February 2009, when Gary Barlow, Ronan Keating, Chris Moyles, Ben Shephard, Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Denise Van Outen, Fearne Cotton, and Alesha Dixon set off to Tanzania to tackle the mountain. All nine celebrities reached the summit on Saturday 7 March 2009, raising in excess of £3.3million in the process for Comic Relief. It is estimated that about 60 per cent - some 18,000 people - make it to the summit each year. However, forty per cent - 12,000 - turn around and walk off the mountain.

Richard, along with other colleagues from the World’s First Football Club, hopes to complete the climb and in doing so raise much needed funds for the club’s Boots for Africa charity. The charity collects new and used football boots and trainers from players of all ages across the UK and Europe and then sends them out to projects in Africa where football is used as a means of focusing the attention of young Africans on education, health and nutrition matters.

In order to get himself fit for the climb, Richard has started training under the guidance of Sheffield FC’s consultant physiotherapist Mark ‘Buster’ Roe. His aim to lose 2 stone in weight and prepare himself for the physical and mental challenge ahead will see him undertake a regimented training and nutrition programme over the coming months and this blog will keep you regularly updated with his progress.

Parties interested in discussing sponsorship opportunities for Richard’s climb can contact him at the club on chairmanrich@sheffieldfc.com

Richard will be attending the FIFA Dinner to be held at Manchester Town Hall on Wednesday night (25th August 2010) as part of the England 2018 World Cup bid. His thoughts and views on the event will form the basis for his next blog which can be seen here later this week.