EAST Africa has never been a hotbed of support for York City but a team of Tanzanian footballers are now Minstermen mad.

The Yale Yale Puna village side, who play matches deep in the African bush despite having no ground or changing facilities, have even changed their name to York City Puna after York Minstermen bought and donated a strip once used by the Bootham Crescent club’s youth team.

From now on they will wear their yellow York kits with pride, while goalkeeper Jawa Mglui will don a jersey signed by former City stopper and current Premier League Fulham player David Stockdale.

It is a highly-appreciated gesture from the Minstermen supporters’ group to the club based 30 miles south of Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital of Tanzania.

There is only one dirt road for access but the new partnership has been established through Clifton-born, former Shipton Street Junior School pupil Paul Clithero, who now owns a chain of six book shops in Tanzania, as well as a beach house in the village and was approached by the football team’s headman for sponsorship.

A City fan since watching the famous 1955 FA Cup semi-final side and a sponsor of the Bootham Crescent club’s youth team through the annual beer festival, Clithero has provided footballs and refreshments for Yale Yale Puna but, until now, the players had been forced to borrow kits from rival outfits in bigger villages.

Clithero, who has tuned in to the BBC world service every night to keep up with City’s results since leaving Yorkshire, even while serving with the Gurkhas in Nepal, said: “You have no idea how much this means to Yale Yale Puna Football Club or York City Puna as they are now known.

“The whole village is so proud to be associated with an English football team and beaming with smiles even though we have big challenges ahead of us.

“We don’t have sports equipment, an office building or changing rooms. We also need a qualified trainer but can’t afford one, nor have we the money to buy property for a ground.

“When you have a fabulous facility like Bootham Crescent, you take it for granted. The team will be in awe when I show them photos of the ground.

“The York City youth strip is our first outside sponsorship and we really do appreciate the support. As a lifelong supporter, I am immensely proud of the club for supporting us in this way and our boys are more grateful than you will ever know.”

York City Puna is an all inclusive club with 26 players, 16 leaders and four committee members.

Clithero has also been handed the honour of managing the team and home matches are now being played in a neighbouring village.

As Yale Yale Puna, the side have won ten, drawn five and lost just five of their 20 matches together.

The first XI are Thabit Othman (captain), Jawa Mglui (goalkeeper), Jumaj Adhila (defender), Hija Juma (defender), Salumu Hamida (midfielder), Yusufu Mohamed-I (midfielder), Hamisi Mglui (midfielder), Yahaya Ally (forward), Selemani Musa (forward), Zubein Juma (forward), Haren A Lay (forward).