FIFA’s Football for Schools Program Kicks Off in India; 6848 footballs distributed to 1260 schools across 17 districts in Odisha

Bhubaneswar:   In a groundbreaking initiative to bring the world’s most popular sport to the hearts of millions of school students in India, the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, has collaborated with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to launch the ambitious Football for Schools (F4S) program.

The program, which aims to significantly enhance the accessibility of football for students, regardless of gender, within the school setting, was officially inaugurated on 9th February 2024, with the distribution of 6848 footballs to 1260 schools across 17 districts in Odisha. The distribution event took place in the presence of local dignitaries from various fields in the Nodal district NVS.

The initiative was set in motion on 2nd December 2023, with Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launching the distribution of footballs from JNV Cuttack, Odisha. The phased distribution continued in districts such as Angul, Dhenkanal, and Deogarh in Odisha, as well as in Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.