The Kia Street Soccer project was officially launched in Alexandra in Johannesburg today and will be played over a seven week period which will culminate from round-robin fixtures towards the grand finals that will proudly boast the Kia Street Soccer champions of 2010.
Over 3 000 children from impoverished areas will take part in the programme which will be played in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town. The championship team and runners up from each of the regions will be transported to a central venue in each city to play in the finals.
A FIFA representative was present at the launch and addressed all media and guests together with Kia Motors and Sporting Chance.
The Kia Street Soccer programme will target children under the age of 13 and give participants in four main urban centres of South Africa the opportunity to get active, develop self esteem and equip them with the knowledge to stay healthy for the rest of their lives. Through the Kia Charity and Care initiative, the Kia Street Soccer programme is aimed at children from around South Africa who will be given the opportunity to participate in street soccer leagues after completing the accompanying health education programme.
This project is made up of three phases:
The first being the health education programme which focused on three core areas which have been identified by the South African Government as being of vital importance:
· Nutrition – what to eat and how to eat healthily, drinking plenty of clean and safe water.
· Hygiene – washing hands, keeping your body clean and covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough.
· Being Active – how to lead an active lifestyle in order to prevent obesity.
The second phase iss the KIA Street Soccer league which will take place in communities around Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg for over two months leading up to the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Respective PSL clubs in the four areas, namely Ajax Cape Town, Orlando Pirates, AmaZulu Football Club and PSL league champions, SuperSport United have joined in the programme to impart their technical expertise for the coaches and to nurture any promising talent.
The Kia Street Soccer league and the accompanying Health education sessions will act as the qualifying factors for phase three of the programme whereby Kia will be distribute up to four thousand 2010 FIFA World Cup™ match tickets, to the Kia Street Soccer participants.
The objectives of the Kia Street Soccer Programme include:
• Emphase to children the value of sport and physical activity in building a bright future.
• Use sport and the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, as a vehicle to build self-esteem and educate children about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle, nutrition and goal-setting.
• Develop and nurture individuals to serve as future role models for their communities.
Brad Bing, Managing Director of Sporting Chance was delighted with the roll-out of the programme. “Sporting Chance has been planning the Kia Street Soccer programme for over a year now. We have aligned ourselves with an excellent sponsor, high-profiled PSL football teams, and various partners to ensure the best knowledge, skills and values of the programme will be achieved by the youth of our country,” said Bing.
Marketing Manager Vinola Pillay says, “Together with Sporting Chance we hope to achieve several things, firstly, we want to emphasise to children the value of sport and physical activity in building a bright future. Furthermore, we want to use sport and the 2010 FIFA World CupTM as a vehicle for building self-esteem and educating children about the importance of health and nutrition. More importantly through these programmes we also want to provide opportunities for sporting achievement and personal development for as many children as possible”
In addition to the three phases set out by Sporting Chance, the Dis-Chem Foundation have donated 16 000 health and hygiene products which will be distributed to children participating in the project.