Zimbabwe: The Liverpool Keeper and Legendary Zimbabwe football player Bruce “Jungleman’’ Grobbelaar made a surprise appearance at the FIFA Football for Schools program in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The renowned soccer player visited there to bring out the inspiration and support to local grassroots football coaches and educators.
Grobbelaar is known for his phenomenal skills and success, both internationally and at the club level. The legend shared the insights and showed solidarity with the Zimbabwe Football Association’s (ZIFA) efforts in promoting the sports at a foundation level.
During the event, Grobbelaar mentioned that the visit to the workshop venue was a delightful surprise for the participants. His presence highlighted the importance of grassroots football development. As it can have a positive impact on the community.
The Jungleman also shared his journey and experiences. He provided invaluable motivation for the coaches, teachers and former players attending the workshop.
However, the initiative is a part of ZIFA’s collaboration with FIFA and UNESCO to integrate football into the educational system and also contribute to the holistic development of children.
At the event, the Grassroots coaches engaged in practical learning as they prepared to teach the game to schoolchildren around Zimbabwe.
Reportedly, the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has officially launched the program on March 07, 2024 at Prince Edward High School in Harare.
Before the launch, a workshop was organized, which was held from March 05 to 06, 2024, especially for former players, school teachers, and community coaches.
The program was organized mainly for school-going children from the development stage. All provinces were represented, and all schools received size-4 footballs.
It is also considered the F4S program, which is where football meets education. In the program, the children were inspired to learn life skills through fun football sessions.
The F4S program observed a mass participation that aims to contribute to education, development and empowerment of boys and girls across the globe by reaching all 211 FIFA Member Associations.
Notably, the program is run by FIFA in association with UNESCO, with the aim of contributing to the education, development and empowerment of around 700 million children.
The F4S objectives are to make football more accessible to both boys and girls around the world by incorporating football activities into the education system.
The programme is designed majorly to promote targeted life skills and competencies through football and contribute to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).