The Union Education Ministry, in partnership with the All-India Football Federation (AIFF) and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), has initiated the vast Football for Schools (F4S) initiative to increase football’s accessibility throughout the nation. Over 11 lakh FIFA footballs will be phased across the nation as part of this scheme. Additionally, this program will assist more than 1.50 lakh schools.
FIFA organized a two-day capacity-building master training program in Sambalpur, Odisha, involving 95 physical education teachers/trainees from Union territories, Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, and AIFF.
The program, which took place in Pune and Bengaluru, aimed to enhance the capacity of these teachers in football education.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Education, AIFF, and FIFA, with Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, in attendance.
The F4S initiative first
The flagship project is to greatly increase the football outreach to children in Indian schools. Additionally, in cooperation with other partners, the F4S initiative seeks to smoothly incorporate soccer-related activities into the educational system.
On December 2, 2023, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced the beginning of the ball distribution program from JNV Cuttack, Odisha. Additionally, the footballs were gradually disseminated throughout the districts of Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Angul, Dhenkanal, and Deogarh in Odisha.
However, an earlier Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Education, AIFF, and FIFA was signed on October 30, 2022, with Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya acting as the Nodal organization. To assist with capacity building, the department recently hosted a master training session at three locations: Bengaluru, Pune, and Sambalpur. Participating in the event were over 300 physical education teachers and trainees from Indian states, union territories, KVS, NVS, and AIFF. Notably, the program also aims to assist about 700 million children globally in their growth, education, and empowerment.
Gujarat’s Football for Schools Program launched by AIFF and FIFA
The vast Football for Schools (F4S) initiative has been established throughout India by the Department of School Education & Literacy, the All India Football Federation (AIFF), and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
The distribution of footballs through different Navodaya Vidyalaya Samitis will be supervised and coordinated by the Gujarat State Football Association (GSFA). Footballs will shortly be distributed to schools in 33 Gujarati districts as part of this initiative. A total of 10,600 footballs are scheduled to be distributed to different Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) locations across Gujarat.
The distribution program will be held at 33 NVS sites on January 31, 2024. As representatives of the AIFF, GSFA members from different districts will be present at the distribution program. In partnership with other stakeholders, the F4S initiative seeks to dramatically increase football’s accessibility for students—regardless of gender—in the classroom while also smoothly incorporating football-related activities into the curriculum. It is anticipated that this approach would greatly enhance Gujarat’s football promotion.
