In an effort to demonstrate that all things are possible through play, the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP), Chevrolet, Football for All in Vietnam (FFAV), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and One World Play Project is distributing 44,520 footballs to children in 26 cities/provinces in Vietnam.
The initiative aims to enable greater participation by schoolchildren in football. These children are aged 6-15 and belong to 168 existing FFAV school-based football clubs as well as clubs in 210 primary and secondary schools and Social centers in Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam. They all come from disadvantaged communities, orphanages, ethnic minorities, street children and social centers for handicapped children.
"AFDP is thrilled to continue its support for Vietnamese football and FFAV, especially after the success of our first collaboration which reached out to primary and secondary schools across all provinces," AFDP Chairman Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein commented. "This year, AFDP returns to Vietnam to join One World Play Project and AFC to give thousands of children the opportunity to experience the joy of football, regardless of their age, gender or background," Prince Ali said.
“The act of play is a fundamental human need that transcends cultures and impacts all ages,” said Mr. Gaurav Gupta, Managing Director of GM Vietnam (Chevrolet Vietnam). “Through our partnership with the Football for All in Vietnam (FFAV) and One World Play Project, Chevrolet is fuelling ingenuity and imagination for children and adults alike, driving home that through play we can turn possibilities into realities.”
The donation is part of a three-year partnership with One World Play Project and its official sponsor Chevrolet that pledges to place 1.5 million One World Futbols with youth in war-stricken zones, refugee camps, disaster areas, and other underprivileged communities around the world.
The ultra-durable One World Futbol represents a breakthrough in technology for a recreational, multi-sport ball. Designed to outlast any other inflated ball available today, the One World Futbol never needs a pump and never goes flat – even when punctured, making it ideal for use in harsh environments such as disaster areas, refugee camps, conflict zones and other disadvantaged communities where a traditional inflated ball doesn’t last.
“Play enables hope, opportunity and optimism in the most dire of situations. While the ball technology is unique, the real magic is not in the ball, it is what happens when children are empowered to play,” said Mr. Stephen Sonderman, Asia Director of One World Play Project. “The ball is a tool that unlocks the human potential. Thank you to our founding sponsor, Chevrolet. Through our collaboration, we are fulfilling our mission to maximize the power of play and transform lives.”
Mr. Anders Krystad, FFAV Director, also shared at the event: “FFAV will continue to develop Thua Thien Hue province as a best practice for grassroots football in Vietnam. These footballs together with our web based tool Secrets to Sports (S2S) and a number of qualified instructors will help us complete our educational package to provide an effective outspread of our activities.”
AFDP lent its support to FFAV for the first time in 2013 through the donation of 3000 footballs to be used in a number of grassroots football activities across Vietnam, mainly at primary and secondary schools in Thua Thien Hue province that have no FFAV clubs yet, enabling them to start football activities and hopefully clubs in the near future.
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