Electronic Arts announced that its EA Sports FC Futures initiative reached 170,000 people in its first year, and as another indication of its commitment to making the game accessible to everyone, it announced a new and comprehensive program called Namibia Futures in partnership with UNICEF. This multi-year partnership will use the power of football to create long-lasting social change in Namibia and beyond, reaching more than 46,000 children with an initial investment of £1.2 million.
Half of Namibia’s children face multidimensional poverty, which reduces opportunities for social mobility, increases the risk of exploitation and abuse, and leaves many girls, in particular, unable to complete their education. UNICEF, together with its partners in the country, currently provides accessible interventions for girls to gain new life skills and receive vocational training, often transforming their future through the platform of sports. Through Namibia Futures, UNICEF aims to reach an additional 46 thousand young people in Namibia and support them with football and game-based training to reach their potential both on and off the field.
“After more than five years of successful collaboration between EA Sports and Football Aid for UNICEF, we are excited to expand the partnership between our two organizations,” said Andrea Hopelain, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Publishing at EA Sports. “Through this program, we hope to meaningfully impact many young lives in Namibia by using the power of football and our EA Sports FC platform.”
UNICEF UK Chief Executive Jon Sparkes said: “There are 300 million adolescent girls worldwide today. With the right resources, networks, and opportunities, they can be the greatest change group the world has ever seen. Namibia Futures, our new partnership with EA Sports FC, will support more than 46,000 Namibian young people to build a better future both on and off the football field. “I want to thank EA Sports FC for standing with children and helping them develop essential life skills that will benefit UNICEF not only improve the physical well-being of adolescents, but also transform their lives through our partnership.”
This year marks the fifth year of a major partnership between EA Sports and Football Aid for UNICEF. United by a goal to help preserve play for children everywhere, EA Sports has helped UNICEF raise nearly £100 million to support its transformative work.
Shane Horgan, Managing Director of Soccer Aid Productions, said: “We are delighted to continue our long-standing partnership with EA Sports and deepen the hugely positive impact this relationship is already having on Soccer Aid for UNICEF. “We are all incredibly proud to be part of such an important work that we know will continue to help improve the lives of children around the world.”
Having had a successful first year, FC Futures has opened the doors of the game to more than 170 thousand children on six continents with the following initiatives:
- It developed and published a library of 7 free applications in partnership with UEFA as resources that young players and coaches can use in training. These FC Futures ACADEMY practices are currently being integrated into 54 National Football Associations and their Coach Education Programmes.
- It has supported the creation and renovation of 11 sites around the world, from South London to Sydney.
- It has supplied more than 12,000 footballs to football clubs, coaches and children, as well as other products including cleats, cones, bibs and more.
- To make all this possible and deliver programs that make a long-lasting impact, UEFA Grassroots has partnered with a multitude of organisations, brands and charities including the Premier League, La Liga and now UNICEF.
- FC Futures ambassador Ian Wright has been presented with the inaugural FC Futures Hero Award to recognize his outstanding work in bringing the world to love football, with £10,000 pledged towards a football cause of his choice.
EA Sports is proud of the success of the first year of the FC Futures program
“It has been a busy and extremely productive first year for FC Futures,” said James Salmon, Senior Marketing Director, EA Sports FC. said. “We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved so far and thank our partners, ambassadors and all the community leaders who have helped bring FC Futures to life. “There is more to be done at a community level to support football on a global scale, but this collaborative effort will continue to ensure our investment is felt by local communities around the world who will truly benefit from the power of football.”
Footballer, commentator and FC Futures Ambassador Ian Wright said: “As an ambassador for FC Futures, it is an honor to be the recipient of the inaugural FC Futures Hero Award and it has been a great pleasure to see the progress the initiative has made over the past year. I was very proud to be able to launch the program with the launch of the first community venue in the form of the Rocky & Wrighty Arena at Turnham Academy in South London, where I learned to play and love the game as a child. “It’s very humbling to see the impact this is having on young people not just in London but around the world.”
Alongside Namibia Futures, FC Futures will continue to open new venues, create and release more training apps, provide more playing equipment and further expand their partnerships; Thus, FC Futures will continue its goal of reaching everyone.
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