Play Soccer: Education through Recreation
Vision
Empowering children and youth to lead change in Africa’s
most underserved communities.
Program description
A grassroot educational program that unites children, youth
and communities and promotes their health, physical and
social development through recreational sport. The pillars of
the program are:
A year-round educational program… Play Soccer has
developed a core program that goes beyond the game of
football. It weaves physical, health and social skills into a fun,
activity-based curriculum, the result of collaboration with
academic institutions, sporting bodies, NGOs and institutional
experts and is carried out by Play Soccer’s Country Network
that spans Africa. Key topics include how the body works and
how to care for it, nutrition and sanitation, disease
prevention; self-esteem, respect, conflict resolution;
leadership and teamwork. The core curriculum premise is
ease of use by Play Soccer’s network of independently run
country organizations to encourage community-led change.
Young children… By working with girls and boys from
5-15, Play Soccer provides them with the earliest possible
access to skills needed to lead healthy, productive lives.
Volunteer Youth Instructors… By recruiting and training
vulnerable youth to teach the program, previously
unattainable knowledge and community leadership skills are
gained.
Programmatic focus
Children 5-15 and Youth
African Geographic focus
South Africa, Senegal, Ghana,
Cameroon, Malawi, Zambia
Duration: 1999 - ongoing
Credentials
- Implementing Partner of FIFA:
Football for Hope Centre &
Alexandra Program Site to be
used for Youth World Cup
Festival
- United Nations Consultative
NGOs status
- Organizer of Global Peace
Games
Achievements
40 000 children served in 6
countries
www.playsoccer-nonprofit.org
International Leadership… Play Soccer fosters global solidarity among children and youth and
supports the United Nations Millennium Development Goals through the organization of an annual
high-profile advocacy event: The Global Peace games.
Expected outcomes
 Increased grassroots community-driven development by children and youth
 Reduction in the number of marginalized children and youth in Africa
 Increased advocacy of the role sport plays as a vector for peace and life skills
Partner needs
 Funding of community based activities in countries throughout the African continent
 Financial support to reproduce core-curriculum kit and Global Peace Games collateral
 Advisory support for partnership and funding opportunities and advocacy training to reach
decision makers and opinion leaders.
Budget: (in ZAR)
200K funds
120K funds
40K funds
1 country program /
1 training session for entire Play Soccer Country Network
1 core-curriculum + Global Peace Games Kit per Country Program/
Contact: Judy McPherson, Founder PLAY SOCCER Nonprofit International
Tel (+1-609-683-4941) - Email: [email protected]