FIFA donates footballs to support GES footballs for schools project

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) as part of an effort to support the FIFA Footballs for Schools project has donated 30,000 Case 4 size footballs to the Ghana Education Service (GES).

In a blog post sighted by AcademicWeek, the management of the Education Service said that over 20,000 footballs will be distributed to 6,000 basic schools across the country for pupils between the ages of 7 and 14 years to use.

In collaboration with FIFA, GES also said it has trained 50 selected Physical Education (PE) and sports coordinators at the Ghanaman Soccer School of Excellence in Prampram on how to use a newly developed FIFA App to impart practical knowledge in football and life skills to unearth the talents in our schools.

“These trained P.E & sports Coordinators are also expected to train MMDAs P.E & Sports Coordinators, P.E & Sports Teachers, Sports Secretaries, Classroom Teachers, Learners in the Pre-Tertiary and Tertiary levels, and the public to enhance the use of the FIFA APP which is a free App,” the Ghana Education Service (GES) said in the blog post.

The aim of the FIFA Footballs for Schools Project is to give both boys and girls equal opportunities to develop their full potential to become elite performers and good citizens.

With the support of the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Football Association in collaboration with FIFA from August 10, 2023, to August 12, 2023, launched the FIFA Football for Schools project in some schools across the country.

In a blog post sighted by AcademicWeek, the Football Association said “As part of the project, there will be the training of selected Physical Education (PE) Teachers from all the regions in Ghana by FIFA Specialists as trainee trainers.

“The trained teachers will then train other PE Teachers in their respective regions. This project forms part of the GFA’s quest to develop all aspects of the game and to ensure that members are duly supported by FIFA to boost capacity.

This follows the approval of the Ghana Football Association’s application for the FIFA Football for Schools Programme for implementation in accordance with the necessary FIFA guidelines,” GFA stated in the blog post on its website.

The Director of FIFA Football for Schools, Fatimata Sidibe said her outfit after a thorough review of the documentation provided by the Ghana Football Association decided to approve the application for implementation of the programme in Ghana.

The FIFA Football for Schools administration, she said will work with GFA to coordinate the release of the Football for Schools mobile app in Ghana, as well as to provide appropriate training and capacity-building support for users (selected public schools in Ghana).