The South African Football Association (SAFA), in conjunction with FIFA, will hold a week-long FIFA Live Your Goals and Grassroots Development project hosted by SAFA Eden Region in Mosselbay, Western Cape.

The event takes place from Tuesday, 21 February 2017 until Saturday, 25 January – where there will be a football festival for about 200 children, boys and girls.

The “LIVE YOUR GOALS” campaign is a FIFA-sanctioned project aimed at aiding member associations as they strive to create awareness and to develop football for girls and women in their respective countries.

The campaign was launched at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011, and has since then evolved into one of FIFA’s most recognised intiatives in Women’s football.

The main objectives of the programme are:

• to increase participation of girls and women in football
• to increase the popularity of women’s football locally, nationally and globally
• to spark, foster and generate excitement about women’s fooball
• and also to create the best platforms for women’s football to thrive, with more females becoming lifelong participants in the sport.

Girls between the ages of six and 12 will attend coaching clinics under the watchful eye of instructors, Boebie Solomons and Banyana Banyana assistant coach Maud Khumalo.

The Grassroots programme involves both boys and girls.

Prior to the football festival on Saturday, 30 coaches from the region of SAFA Eden will undergo training on how to work with the children.

The three-day training programme which will be led by Solomons, who is a SAFA Instructor.

The 30 participants – 15 males and 15 females – are from seven Local Football Associations of SAFA Eden – Hessequa, Kannaland, Mosselbay, Oudtshoorn, Plettenburgbay, George and Knysa.

It is the first time the region hosts the event.

This article was sourced from the SAFA website.