Djibouti expands football in schools development program

The Djibouti Football Federation and the country’s ministry of education have joined forces to develop football across the country through schools football promotion program after the two sides signed a historic cooperative deal here at the FDF headquarters in Djibouti on Saturday.

The three-year football in school development program was co-signed by the FDF President Souleiman Hassan Waberi and the director general of the ministry of education Mr. Abdallah Mohamed Hersi.

President Souleiman who talked to the CECAFA media after the historic agreement said that the youth football development program will target boys and girls at schools between 9-17 years of age who will be undergoing long-term training sessions.

He said that in elementary schools they will target those between 9-11 years of age, while in intermediate  and secondary schools 12-13 and 14-15 and as well as 16-17 year old teens will be targeted adding that both boys and girls will involve in the program.

“This program is all about accelerating the promotion of football in the country and in particularly to let the children at schools get access to football, because we understand the importance it has for the country to get talented football players who at the same time have the knowledge so that they will be able to manage their future” president Souleiman Hassan Waberi told CECAFA Media.

He said that under the signed document the FDF will send experts to conduct football educational courses for school coaches in a bid to increase the level of football coaching at schools.

The president said that the agreement came into effect on Saturday 6th of September 2014 and will last for three years, adding that it will be renewable afterwards.

“The ministry and the FDF have been cooperating for the past several years, but this is a complete three-year program which we hope will have a very positive impact on the progression of football in Djibouti” the director general of the ministry of education Abdallah Mohamed Hersi told CECAFA Media.

The creation of a long-term football in schools program was one of the pledges made by President Souleiman Hassan Waberi in his post election address on 10th of November 2012.