FIFA honours its promise to Safa
JOBURG - The Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association and schools in its jurisdiction will be among the beneficiaries of a Fifa disbursement of of more than R50 million.
The Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association and schools in its jurisdiction will be among the beneficiaries of a Fifa disbursement of more than R50 million.
The money is part of the Legacy Projects of the Fifa 2010 World Cup which was held in South Africa four years ago. Of the R50 million, about R43 million will go towards the development of league football at U13, U15 and U17 levels in the 311 local football associations throughout South Africa.
Schools in Alexandra will be among the beneficiaries of 860 legacy bags to the value of R6 million, which contain football gear and equipment for clubs and schools; while the Football for Hope in Alexandra, and other NGOs working closely with it such as Grassroots Football, will be among beneficiaries from a total kitty of R14 million.
This money will be split among the various non-profit organisations (NGOs) working closely with the 20 Football for Hope centres throughout Africa, and the centres themselves. The NGOs will be those that use football to bring about positive change in communities.
Four years after the final whistle was blown at Soccer City Stadium, Fifa’s pledge to ensure that South Africans would be long-term recipients of the financial rewards of the 2010 Fifa World Cup, has become a reality.
As of September, R82 million has been disbursed for various projects in the areas of football development, education, capacity-building and health. At the same time, the Legacy Trust has generated R72 million in interest, in line with the trust’s aim to become a self-sustaining source of funding that will continue to benefit the South African football community.
A total of R450 million had originally been invested in the 2010 Legacy Trust following the Fifa World Cup in South Africa.
The legacy trustees, under the chairmanship of Safa president Dr Danny Jordaan, has reviewed the achievements of the first grants awarded since January last year, and also discussed the next public application windows at the fifth board meeting held at the High Performance Centre at the University of Pretoria.
Jordaan, welcoming a Fifa delegation bearing the purse for the legacy projects, said he was happy to report “tremendous progress in South African football for the period 2013 to 2014”.
“Our U17 and U20 junior national teams qualified for the CAF [Confederation of African Football] Youth Championships in Niger and Senegal respectively, while Banyana Banyana qualified for the African Women’s Championship in Namibia,” he said.
“Young players from the junior teams have now moved up to the senior national team, Bafana Bafana, such as Ayabulela Magqwaka, Dumisani Msibi, Rivaldo Coetzee and Fagrie Lakay. These players progressed through the U17 and U19 development leagues, which were all funded by the Legacy Trust. The U13 and U15 boys’ and girls’ leagues are being strengthened on a national basis, through funds from the Legacy Trust.”
