The FIFA Football For Schools Programme in Uganda was officially launched on Tuesday at the FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru. The event was attended by FUFA President Hon. Magogo Moses Hassim, FUFA First Vice President Justus Mugisha, FUFA Executive Committee Member Ronnie Kalema, FUFA CEO Edgar Watson, and FUFA Deputy CEO-Football Decolas Kizza.
Also present were Assistant Commissioner Physical Education and Sports in the Ministry of Education and Sports, Sammy Odongo, FIFA Chief Member Associations Officer Henry Honore Jean Marie, and FIFA Member Association Africa Regional Coordinator Sousa Silmara, who have been involved since the start of the programme.
FUFA President Hon. Magogo praised FIFA for this initiative, expressing confidence that the programme will significantly boost mass football participation in Uganda. He emphasized the importance of integrating football into schools to reach more children effectively.
Henry Honore Jean Marie from FIFA explained that the programme aims to teach life skills through football, partnering with UNESCO to extend its reach. The programme provides educational content for Games Teachers to teach both technical skills and life skills.
The Ministry of Education and Sports, represented by Sammy Odongo, committed to ensuring the programme’s message reaches every part of the country. The programme began with a workshop for 50 Games Teachers from Primary Schools, covering life skills, game preparation, child safeguarding, emotional control, and teamwork.
These trained teachers will conduct regional workshops to spread the knowledge further. During the workshop, teachers were also required to create accounts on the FIFA Football For Schools App, which provides educational content to guide their training sessions.
Targeting children aged 4-14, the programme includes a one-off funding of $50,000 from FIFA and 66,260 balls to be distributed to Primary Schools across Uganda. The launch concluded with a festival at FUFA Technical Centre, where over 120 pupils from Naminya UMEA Primary School showcased their newly acquired skills.
