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FIFA President Gianni Infantino officially opened Fiji Football Association’s ‘King Pele’ Fitness Centre and revamped futsal pitch in Vatuwaqa during his first visit to Fiji on Saturday 5th August. An MOU was also signed by Infantino, Minster for Education Aseti Radrodro, and FFA President Rajesh Patel for Football for Schools program.
FIFA funded for around $700,000, the King Pele Fitness Centre will be accessible to the public when not in use by the national teams and is equipped with the latest technology, shower room, office, and physiotherapy clinic room.
On naming of the fitness centre, Fiji Football president Rajesh Patel advised “we have decided to name the newly constructed Fitness Centre at our headquarters in Vatuwaqa under the footballing legend, the great Pele.
“It is named ‘King Pele’’ Fitness Center to honour the greatest footballer of his time.
“This will also inspire Fijians and other Pacific Islanders that will be using the facilities here in Vatuwaqa.”
Patel said the late Brazilian star’s legacy will live on forever and by naming the fitness centre after him, they are paying tribute to his achievement in the sports.
Patel also advised that the construction of a new $6.2 million football academy in Labasa was evidence of the growing efforts between FIFA and Fiji FA.
He said Fiji FA had identified a piece of land at Lomolomo between Nadi and Lautoka for the construction of multi-million dollar state-of-the-art 15,000 capacity stadium and a high performance academy.
Patel said Fiji FA was also looking to open futsal grounds and football academies around the country, especially in rural and maritime areas to give equal opportunities to Fijians to participate and grow the sport.
The opening of the new King Pele Fitness Centre, revamped futsal pitch, development of football facilities at other academies in the country, and the earmarked multi-million dollar high performance academy and stadium is expected to boost the sport of football in Fiji and stamp its position as the hub of the region.
Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding last Saturday by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Minster for Education Aseti Radrodro, and FFA President Rajesh Patel for Football for Schools program, football will now be part of the curriculum in primary schools.
The purpose of this MOU is to enable both Parties to join forces and work together to invest in the potential of Fiji’s young children with the help of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (‘FIFA’) Football for Schools Program (‘F4S’).
Football for Schools (F4S) is an ambitious programme run by FIFA, in collaboration with UNESCO, which aims to contribute to the education, development and empowerment of around 700 million children. It seeks to make football more accessible to both boys and girls around the world by incorporating football activities into the education system, in partnership with relevant authorities and stakeholders. The programme has been designed to promote targeted life skills and competencies through football and contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other priorities.
The programme includes:
Objectives of the Football for Schools Programme
The F4S Programme seeks to achieve the following four key outcomes:
The F4S Programme is guided by a results-based management framework and theory of change, which assumes that developing intrapersonal, interpersonal and cognitive skills amongst learners, in addition to producing gains in knowledge and positive attitudes, will help them to develop life skills and competencies. If this is done within an enabling, inclusive and caring environment that promotes individual learning and development, along with a combination of football and life skills, the programme has the potential to contribute to individual and community change and consequently to the identified SDGs.
Why schools?
Schools remain the most effective and efficient avenue in which to engage young people in sport. While FIFA, and its MAs, provide support to countless local associations and clubs that compete in leagues, FIFA, in collaboration with UNESCO, is committed to ensuring that children at school receive opportunities. This is especially important in countries that do not have an effective club structure.
The F4S Programme aims to ensure that football is accessible to all learners, without discrimination. Anyone who wants to play football must know that it is possible to do so through their school or community, using the facilities available in the country. While the main remit of this programme is to support the provision of football coaching and equipment to schools, FIFA encourages its member associations and in-country partners to recognise the importance of engaging with out-of-school youngsters.
Given that many schools lack equipment and qualified personnel to deliver football activities, FIFA will provide equipment (footballs) through its MAs as well as this online learning platform and a mobile application that provides easy-to-use content for training sessions. It is hoped that the platform will help educators, coaches and parents to better support, deliver and manage F4S activities in their schools and communities.
The F4S Programme can enable schools to tackle a range of social issues, while providing an attractive vehicle in which to engage and educate learners, and even motivate educators too.
The F4S Programme is not designed to detract from teaching or classroom time, and it is in fact intended to complement the efforts of educators and advance education outcomes, thus assisting governments. Football is capable of playing a vital role in the education system and acting as a “school of life”.
Images. Credit: Fiji Football Association
