FIFA’s Football4Schools (F4S) Initiative in India

FIFA’s Football4Schools (F4S) Initiative- Relevance for UPSC Exam

Football4Schools (F4S) Initiative: FIFA’s Football4Schools (F4S) Initiative is an important ambitious programme run by FIFA. Football4Schools (F4S) Initiative is important for UPSC Prelims Exam (International Current Affairs) and UPSC Mains Exam (GS Paper 2- Governance, Administration and Challenges- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.)

FIFA’s Football4Schools (F4S) Initiative in News

• Recently, Union Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, on behalf of the Ministry of Education signed an MoU in Mumbai with FIFA and All India Football Federation for the ‘Football4Schools’ initiative in India.
• Football4Schools program is a step towards translating Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of making sports as a way of life as well as creating well-rounded citizens.

FIFA’s Football4Schools (F4S) Initiative

• About: 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.
  • The F4S Programme can be used by member associations (MAs) and their governments to further national development priorities.
• Mandate: Football4Schools (F4S) Initiative 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.
• Significance: 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.
• Alignment with other Initiatives: The F4S Programme is aligned with global sport, education and health policies, including-
  • UNESCO’s Kazan Action Plan,
  • The Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework of Action, and
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA).

Components of Football4Schools (F4S) Initiative

Football4Schools (F4S) Program Includes-

• A free digital application (Football for Schools), accessible via Google Play and the Apple App Store;
• An online learning platform with relevant content for programme stakeholders;
• The provision of equipment (including adidas footballs) that will be distributed to schools; and
• A one-off USD 50,000 payment to each MA to run the programme.

Benefits of Football4Schools (F4S) Initiative

• Empower learners (boys and girls) with valuable life skills and competencies
• Empower and provide coach-educators with the training to deliver sport and life-skills activities
• Build the capacity of stakeholders (Schools, Member Associations and public authorities) to deliver training in life skills through football.
• Strengthen the cooperation between governments and participating schools to enable partnerships, alliances and intersectoral collaboration.

India and Football4Schools (F4S) Initiative

• FIFA, All India Football Federation and Ministry of Education, GoI through this MoU, are collaborating together to promote football and also equip the young learners with valuable life skills.
• ‘Football4Schools’ aims to empower 25 million young boys and girls in India through sports-integrated learning.
• Football is an immensely popular sport and the Football4Schools program uses it as a positive tool to inspire children and ensure their holistic development.

FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup 2022

FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup 2022

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