FIFA selects YFC representatives for workshop in Vietnam!

Youth Football Club Rurka Kalan – A non profit social organization working for the development of underprivileged children through the medium of football in Punjab since 2001 has been selected by FIFA – The apex body of promoting football globally.

The news is yet another achievement for Youth Football Club Rurka Kalan who has been using football as a tool for development in the lives of children in the villages of Punjab. Till now, YFC has worked with more than 10,000 children from the rural background where many children have represented the academy at the national and international level.

On behalf of FIFA and Adidas, club secretary Mr. Sandeep Singh and Assistant football coach Mr. Sarbjit Singh has been selected to represent YFC in the upcoming Football For Hope (FFH) Adidas Exchange Programme in Vietnam. The event takes place on November 26th-28th at the Huong Giang Hotel, Hue City, Vietnam and is being hosted by the Football Association of Norway/Football For All in Vietnam.

FIFA has extended its support to YFC for initiating a football training programme for girls below the age of 14 years in the village of various districts across Punjab. The programme would focus on 20 Government schools in Jalandhar, Amritsar and Ludhiana districts, targeting 1000 girl children between the ages of 6-14 years to provide them structured football training through a football coaching curriculum.

The project aims to promote gender equality, improve health, instil self-confidence and mental toughness among girls and enhance sensitivity towards girl children through mixed activities, workshops and competitions through football.

On this wonderful achievement, president Gurmangal Dass mentioned, ‘It’s an excellent achievement for our academy to be able to get recognized by the international body FIFA of our small efforts towards promoting football in the region. An abysmal sex ratio along with low levels of female participation in sports and extra-curricular activities clearly reflects the gender inequality and lack of sensitivity towards female in Punjab. Through this project, we aim to change the current situation through football as we believe that football is the most powerful weapon in the world that can have a positive change in the lives of young people.  I thank FIFA and its CSR arm Football For Hope for appreciating our efforts. It gives more motivation to our academy to keep up the level and do what we do the best i.e training football!’

The FFH Adidas Exchange Programme is part of the FIFA partners Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme through which FIFA invites its partners to join forces and contribute to strengthening Football For Hope Activities.

Over the course of 3 days, the FFH programme will bring together organizations in the field of football development across Asia. The aim is to offer opportunities for peer-to-peer exchange, capacity development and professional football coaching.