In the dust and grime of poverty-stricken Ghana, the teenager was infinitely better than the worn out gear he had to train and play in.

Fortunately though, Dave had an idea.

The Sydneysider saw the makeshift resources of Africa first hand when he arrived as a volunteer football coach in 2009.

When he first flew in, he had already come prepared with a pile of equipment from Australia… but soon realised the immense scale of demand.

When he returned to Australia, he put the wheels in motion to create Their Beautiful Game, a charity organisation dedicated to rounding up unwanted balls, kits and training gear from schools and football clubs and flying it where it’s needed most.

Now Dave has led projects across the world, taking football gear to help players everywhere from the favelas of Brazil to Ghana, war-torn Sierra Leone, Kenya and the jungles and cities in Thailand and Vietnam.

Already, it has helped young Ebeneezer find a new life.

“He was 13 but he was playing in the Under 16s,” says Dave. “You could just tell he was an exceptional footballer, beautiful control and balance, could score goals and tackle, just a tremendous athlete.”

After Dave got him kitted out with some better quality equipment, everything started to change.

“He got spotted by a European-based scout and they sent him to have trials in Greece, and he had trials at Juventus and Ajax,” he said.

“They didn’t offer him a contract, but when he went back to Ghana he managed to get a scholarship at High Point University in America.

“Recently he got voted in the top 100 freshmen in all sports in America, and he’s on the all-star soccer team and he’s done really well.

“He’s a really nice guy, a really down to earth and humble guy.”

Now Dave hopes to help countless more through Their Beautiful Game.

“I think I took about 150kg of gear on the first trip, so there was a couple hundred pairs of boots, balls, team strips, shin pads, goalkeeping gloves, you name it,” he said.

“I worked with one club and they had teams all the way from the Under 6s through to a senior men’s team, and they had six battered footballs for the entire club.

“They would share boots, they would share strips when they played matches, it was just so far removed from the kind of conditions that we play football in.”

The organisation works with clubs and schools to set up collection points where players can drop off their old boots and gear like balls and team strips.

“Then we distribute it to football clubs, schools or even orphanages in the developing world,” Dave said.

“We make sure that they have everything they need either to set up or continue running their football programs and their football teams effectively.

“One of the elements that’s made this kind of project so successful is that people are happy to give.

“People who play go through a pair of boots every season or every 18 months, so your boots might be a bit worn, but they could still be used by someone who needs them.

“People seem happy to donate stuff that they no longer use on the provision that is has gone to somebody that is able to use it.”

The charity goes one step further in letting donors know their gear has gone to a good home by connecting players across the world.

“We take a picture at this end and then take a picture at the other end and we email the picture out to each of the people that donate,” Dave revealed.

“We’ve got really good feedback in that people can see a fellow footballer on the other side of the world - younger kids who give donations really enjoy that connection.”

Their Beautiful Game has also been working with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and Indonesian refugee groups locally in Sydney, to help them with gear and resources for their football programs.

Dave added: “Refugees come over with not much more than the clothes on their back and they just think that football is a really important bridge between the life they’ve left behind and their new life.

“It just helps that process and integration, and adds a sense of normality to their lives.”

Dave is also aware of the risks associated with where the donations go and how they affect the locals receiving the donations.

“We only give to people who definitely need equipment.

“One of the things we’re quite wary of as well is I could potentially ship over 500 pairs of boots, but say there is a market trader who relies on selling football boots for a living, I’ve taken away his income.

“Our boots only go to kids or people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford football boots.

“We’re looking at doing charity the right way.”

Despite success stories such as Ebeneezer’s, the organisation retains simple goals.

‘I’m just as happy giving a pair of boots to a kid who has nothing and if just after school or in the evening he can play with his mates and he dreams about being Ronaldo or Messi, that gives him that kind of escapism," Dave said.

"And that’s just a magical thing, it’s about giving enjoyment to people.

"It’s such a simple transaction. When you can give a kid who is say in the depths of Africa his own pair of boots – honestly, it’s just incredible.”

Donations are always needed. Anyone wanting to help can contact Dave at theirbeautifulgame.org to set up a collection point, or to offer ideas on how to raise funds and collect football gear.

You can also donate or buy a hoodie or shirt on the website with all proceeds going towards helping spread football to those most in need of help.