The Beautiful Game Across Borders
The work that Dylan Evande does is not new, but for the first time it has a platform. The demand in this world to provide for those with less will always be high. It was both in the distant and recent past that Dylan would go back to his home country of Cameroon to provide the small pleasures that westerners often take for granted. Where video games and hand-me-downs to us seem — in a vacuum — like tertiary perks to socio economic comfort, small additions like those have the ability to change someone’s life elsewhere.
Dylan and I got on Facetime
Hours apart, but on the same wavelength, Dylan and I braved the spotty wi-fi. The iffy connection prompted a brief aside on the topic of perspective. Things we often take for granted like the semi-magical science behind wi-fi set into motion the conversation that followed.
“Family situations pushed me to want to do more,” Dylan said as he spoke of the conditions he witnessed growing up.
He noted that he was blessed to grow up in his position, but paid critical attention and focus to those that grew up adjacent to him.
“It’s a luxury to be in the U.S.,” he continued, “but f*ck all of the luxury if you can’t use it for good.”
Perspective for Dylan has a way of morphing as we cross borders. As cliche as it may be, one person’s trash (literally) is another’s treasure. Most North American kids get new cleats every season, leaving the old ones to collect dust. Dylan’s proposition to his network of fellow footy individuals was to recycle their gear for good use, and his network obliged. Separately, with UltraFooty on the rise an opportunity to create a small spectacle for the beautiful game was very apparent.
From Playground to Top Shelf
Dylan recalled the past charity games that took place in Cameroon. Wherever he could find, they would play. He referenced a playground being the genesis location. This year the game would be in a large stadium in Buea Town, Cameroon and in front of a crowd, no less. The optics of this year’s game proved more important than ever. Children are impressionable and imitate their predecessors. For the children of Cameroon, seeing professionals play — for free — and up close and personal was imperative to the future of the game in their country.
“There is a legacy,” Dylan said with an impenetrable pride, “there is a lot there to be sustained.”
His mission is far from complete, but with the winning team receiving a charitable donation and all of the kids and players involved receiving pre-loved gear. Dylan was able to take leaps and bounds. In the crux of our conversation came the unique challenge. For Dylan, he is “doing more to challenge myself to be Cameroonian by blood.”
He urges other stars to do the same. What good is a seat at the table if you’re sitting alone. However we can be of service to our neighbors, to our blood, we should do so, Dylan urged. I agreed, and as I scratched away at my notes, forming this story in my head, I felt a sense of obligation to do more than just write.
As for the charity, there is no end in sight, I can comfortably say after this conversation that there is only growth as this message gets amplified. The format of the game can change, but the location will not. Dylan is Cameroonian, the game will be in his home. Dylan hopes to have the ability to host more teams, in a tournament, in bigger venues involving more pros one day. For a game that started in a park, he is certainly trending upward.
Dylan’s love geographically is split many ways, but his blood remains Cameroonian, and he intends to fulfill his obligations.
