Football Saved My Life (F.M.S.L) is a project started by Gildas Messan Awuye and is powered by his design studio Messan Studios.

Growing up in a modest immigrant family, Awuye didn’t always have the means to play organized football. Playing competitive football was something he dreamed about but knew to be inaccessible to him and his parents at the time. Luckily his lack of funds didn’t keep him away from the pitch for too long.

While he was playing with friends at a park in front of his house in Ottawa, at age 10, he was recruited by a coach that assured him that he would be able to play, even if he didn’t have the money, that together with the organization they would find a way. And so, from then on Gildas never let money get in the way of playing football, he would attend tryouts first and discuss his financial situation later. Thankfully for him, there was always someone within the organization willing to help.

So F.S.M.L is a way for Gildas to thank the beautiful game and give back to the community that helped shape the man he is today.

We are dedicated to donating 16% of every purchase to organizations that facilitate access to competitive football for young footballers.

As we are in the early stages of launching this initiative, we are still selecting and vetting organizations we would like to partner with. Though we haven’t chosen specific organizations yet, rest assured that the money raised will be going to originations that are dedicated to making the game more accessible.

Please feel free to reach out to us at info@footballsavedmylife.co or by filling out the form on our contact page. We would love to chat with you and discuss ways in which we can bring the game forward together.

Please feel free to reach out to us at info@footballsavedmylife.co or by filling out the form on our contact page. We would love to chat with you and discuss ways in which we can bring the game forward together.

Based in Montréal, Canada F.S.M.L ships worldwide.

Unfortunately F.S.M.L is unable to advise what customs charges may be applied to international shipments. Any duties, taxes, and any other fees collected from the destination country are applied at the discretion of the carrier and local laws, and will be payable by the customer.

Canadian orders will not be subjected to any duties upon delivery, as the shipment is not traversing any borders.

If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, you may return your merchandise within 14 days days from the date on which the order was received, for store credit.

Notice must be given to info@footballsavedmylife.co regarding returns. Items must be in the same condition that you received it, all hangtags and original packaging must not have been removed, and you must present a valid proof of purchase. 

All sales of books, gift cards, underwear, socks and hats are Final Sale. Final sale items cannot be returned.

At this time we are not able to offer exchanges. We recommend requesting a return for the item you'd like to return, and placing a new order for the new item.