Building 20 Centres for 2010
30 November 2007Fifa President Sepp Blatter launched the official social upliftment campaign of the 2010 Fifa World Cup - 20 Centres for 2010 - in Durban on Sunday, setting the ball rolling for positive social change in Africa.
According to Fifa.com, the campaign aims to raise US$10-million to fund the construction of 20 Football for Hope centres across Africa. Five centres will be located in South Africa, including one in Alexandra township in Johannesburg, and a further 15 across the continent.
Each will feature a mini-pitch along with classrooms and health care facilities, providing youngster with a place to play as well as access to counselling, health and educational services.
The campaign follows on the success of social upliftment campaigns associated with previous World Cups - Say Yes For Children (2002) and 6 Villages for 2006 - while marking "the first time that the world's largest football event will harness the power of the game itself to inspire positive social change," Fifa said on its website.
20 Centres for 2010 will be conducted within the framework of the Football for Hope Movement, a key element of the strategic alliance between Fifa and streetfootballworld.
Football for Hope partners, all successfully established local non-governmental organisations, will provide the education and health care services for the 20 centres, while also encouraging "the social integration of minorities and disadvantaged populations in their respective communities".
Donating for the campaign
Football fans who want to help young Africans by supporting the 20 centres for will be able do so at a special "20 centres for 2010 Section" on Fifa.com from the second quarter of 2008.
Fans will be able to contribute by making a donation for every goal scored by the team of their choice on the road to and during the 2010 World Cup.
To get the ball rolling, Fifa - supported by its six partners Adidas, Coca-Cola, Emirates, Hyundai, Sony and Visa - has committed to contributing $500 to the campaign for every goal scored during the more than 800 Fifa World Cup qualifying matches - amounting to a donation of at least $1-million.
20 Centres for 2010 "emphasizes the power of football far beyond the boundaries of the pitch," Blatter said at Sunday's launch of the campaign. "With the help of football fans, celebrities and sponsors, we want to ... leave a lasting legacy for the benefit of African youth after 11 July 2010."
SAinfo reporter
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