FIFA’s Football for Schools (F4S) Program Launched in Kenya
FIFA is preparing to launch the Football for Schools (F4S) program, an initiative that will benefit Kenyan primary schools.
The program, a collaborative effort with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), will be launched in Kakamega on July 30, 2023.
Nick Mwendwa, president of the FKF, will attend the event alongside FIFA representatives Fatimata Sidibé, director of Football for Schools, Antonio Buenao, manager of Football for Schools, and Melvin Mendy, trainee for FIFA Football for Schools.
Through the program, FIFA intends to impact more than 700 million boys and girls worldwide.
It is intended to promote specific life skills and competencies through football and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other priorities of the United Nations.
The program is expected to directly benefit more than 2,000 schools in Kenya.
“Youth and women’s football continue to be at the forefront of FKF’s football development agenda.
Michael Amenga, FKF’s Head of Technical, remarked, “Since children spend the majority of their time in school, we believe we can have a direct impact on them by empowering our teachers with coaching education and providing football equipment.”
The program begins on Friday with a three-day football and life skills training session for fifty coach educators, a select group of teachers from each of the nation’s 47 counties with an interest in primary school football.
FKF will charge the educators with implementing specific football and life skills initiatives in their respective regions.
On Sunday, boys and girls from selected schools in the Western region will assemble at the Bukhungu Stadium for the program’s official inauguration.
The children will participate in small-sided football activities and receive training in life skills.
After the program’s initial launch, participating schools will receive footballs and training equipment.
In addition, primary school teachers who work directly with children will be granted priority access to FKF coaching courses.
Long-term, the initiative will offer children the chance to demonstrate their potential early in their football development life cycle and ensure that they are handled by qualified personnel.
FIFA’s Football for Schools (F4S) Program Launched in Kenya