FIFA for SOS Children's Villages 

FIFA's commitment to SOS Children's Villages is the result of a proposal made by its former President João Havelange. In 1994 SOS Children's Villages was nominated main beneficiary of the former FIFA Youth Fund, and one year later the joint programme was formally sealed by João Havelange and Helmut Kutin and officially announced:

"The FIFA Youth Fund will give children worldwide a closer relationship with football. A central pillar of the work of the fund is collaboration with SOS Children's Villages." (João Havelange)
"Together we will communicate to the whole world a model for true partnership between sport and our special social responsibility for children." (Helmut Kutin)

Today's FIFA President, Joseph S. Blatter, supports the agreement, which operates on both the national and international level, as "one of the clearest signals of social responsibility in the world of football. SOS Children's Villages is a wonderful partner, and this partnership is one of the most pleasing aspects of FIFA's work."

Many international activities and events are organised via the two umbrella organisations. Particular highpoints of the many events organised throughout 2000/2001 included the benefit match between the then world champion France and the FIFA World Stars, which was held in Marseille and watched by 60,000 people, and the FIFA World Player Gala held in Rome. Within individual countries, the national football associations and SOS Children's Village associations are responsible for various joint activities.

Almost 50 leading football stars like Christian Vieri, Lucas Radebe, George Weah have agreed to serve as official ambassadors for the FIFA for SOS Children's Villages Partnership - they draw attention to the common cause in their various countries and at the international level as well as making a contribution to the activities organised in their respective fields. It is an incomparable experience for the children to meet their idols face to face and actually play football with them!

In addition, FIFA also provides financial support for sports fields for SOS Children's Villages and football training programmes for SOS Children and Youth. The FIFA training programmes (FUTURO II and Olympic Solidarity courses) are meaningful tools for promoting talented children and teenagers.

Promoting talent in theory and practice

"Letting children grow through their strengths" - a basic principle at SOS Children's Villages. Helping the children and youngsters develop their talents is a way of building up self-confidence. That in turn enables them to accept their weaknesses and to seek to improve. All children should be given the opportunity to achieve their individual goals. Arousing their interests and promoting them through guidance and training is the way to make children aware of their own abilities.

For this purpose SOS Children's Villages offer a wide range of activities. In sports and games, music and the arts, at school and in the family, an early focus on personal development is a basic principle at SOS Children's Villages. The combination of sport and social responsibility, as reflected in the partnership established between FIFA and SOS Children's Villages, is a good foundation for identifying and promoting talent. In professional football, too, special emphasis is placed on working with juniors as tomorrow's hopes on the basis of fairness, determination and teamwork.

The work of promoting talented youngsters receives generous support from FIFA in the form of funds provided for urgently needed sports grounds, especially in the poorer countries of the world. These facilities are constructed in or near SOS Children's Villages, where they offer the children healthy and meaningful leisure activities, and good conditions for training for talented juniors.

Talented youngsters also receive meaningful support through the FIFA training programmes. These programmes provide coaching courses for coaches, referees, sport physicians and officials in all parts of the world. In the framework of the courses the FIFA instructors also hold training lessons with children and youngsters from the neighbourhood of SOS Children's Villages.

The villages involved are supplied with kit and equipment by FIFA sponsor Adidas. The courses provided by the visiting experts are not only a highly positive experience for up-and-coming young players but also a way of establishing contacts between the national football associations and the SOS Children's Village associations in the countries involved.