The primary sponsor of Adelaide’s AFCON in 2026, YMCA SA enacts community development through sports.

Soccer; the world game, it brings people together, and that means the world to us. This year YMCA SA moved purposefully to become the primary sponsor of the 2026 AFCON soccer tournament, an event known for producing talent so great in the soccer world that two Socceroos made presentations at the finals, but more importantly, renowned for bringing different cultures and peoples from across South Australia, into one hub of community connectivity – through sport. 

From October through early November, the African Communities Council of South Australia (ACCSA) organised and hosted the tournament at Croydon Football Club in Regency Park, a venue large enough for the thousands of players, families and supporters to see their team play, and provide an opportunity to connect with others across the state. ACCSA is a volunteer-run body that represents more than 35 African communities in South Australia. Denis Yengi, ACCSA Chair, addressed the crowd on the final day. “AFCON South Australia is without any doubt one of the most successful and vibrant football tournaments in Australia,” he said, before introducing two Socceroos players who were there and spoke to the crowd. 

Head of Finance for YMCA SA, Karen Polkinghorne, spoke at the finals, highlighting “The Y is a very proud sponsor of AFCON; we are all about building and connecting communities and AFCON represents that.” For the Y, sponsoring the tournament follows from its everyday work. YMCA SA runs recreation centres, gymnastics, early learning and outside school hours care at more than 65 locations across South Australia, and sport is one of the ways it connects people to each other. Chief Executive Officer, David Paterson, said at the opening ceremony that sport does two jobs at once: “There’s a tremendous power for sports to both develop people individually, but also build community and build connections.” 

We would like to thank all of the sponsors who helped shape another successful community celebration and we congratulate the Liberian women’s team and South Sudan men’s team for taking home the major trophies this year.