Canadian Soccer Association & SOS Children’s Villages Kick-in for Orphans

Ottawa, Ontario – The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and SOS Children’s Villages Canada announced today at a joint press conference in Toronto that they have raised over $100,000 (all funds listed in Canadian dollars) to fund the construction and maintenance of a “Canada Soccer House” in the new SOS Village in Rustenburg, South Africa.
The CSA and FIFA have also named SOS Children’s Villages Canada as the Official Charity for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007. Next summer, Canada will host the World’s finest youth players in six cities across the country – Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Burnaby, and Victoria – with the tentative dates for the tournament set for June 30-July 22, 2007.
It was also announced that FieldTurf Inc. has generously donated a mini soccer field (40m x 60m) (with an estimated cost in excess of $200,000) that will be installed in an SOS Children’s Villages facility in South Africa.
CSA Chief Operating Officer, Kevan Pipe, voiced his appreciation and satisfaction that the CSA was able to facilitate the donation at today’s press conference. “Those of us involved in soccer all around the world see the positive effects that the game can have on children on a daily basis. For orphaned and abandoned children under the care of SOS Children’s Villages, the benefits can be immeasurable,” said Pipe.
“Soccer spans economic, racial and religious barriers. It builds self-esteem, encouraging inclusion and team spirit as well as developing motor skills and improving cardio-vascular health. Hopefully it will build bridges that will help these children escape the relentless cycle of poverty and disease that they now face.”
England’s Football Association (The FA) has also contributed an additional $22,000 to cover the installation and construction of the field.
“The charity SOS Children’s Villages is The FA’s International Charity Partner for 2006”, said The FA’s Head of International Relations, Jane Bateman. “The majority of our charity work is focused in England. However this partnership enables us to share our resources beyond our shores and to complement our extensive international activities.”
“We are delighted to be able to work with the Canadian Soccer Association on this project, maximizing the resources we both have available to provide a football pitch for the village of Rustenburg.”
Rapidly becoming ‘Canada’s Soccer Charity’, SOS Children’s Villages Canada (SOS Canada) partnered with the CSA over the course of FIFA’s 2006 World Cup Official Charity Campaign – “6 villages for 2006′.
After presenting the cheque to SOS Children’s Villages Canada National Director Boyd McBride and Canada’s FIFA for SOS Children’s Villages Ambassador Craig Forrest, newly elected CSA President, Colin Linford, was quick to commend the soccer membership across Canada which has worked in partnership with the national organization to meet this major financial commitment.
“This is the first time in history that the CSA has worked in this kind of a partnership to achieve such a tangible and exciting goal,” he said. “We are all excited to see where this partnership may lead us in the future.”
Created to build awareness of international soccer audiences of the plight of orphaned and abandoned children around the world, the goal of “6 villages for 2006” is to raise sufficient funds to build a new SOS Village in South Africa, Nigeria, Mexico, Brazil, Vietnam and Ukraine. SOS Canada and the CSA have committed to fund a “Canada Soccer House” in Rustenburg, South Africa. The SOS Rustenburg Village is within eyesight of one of the sites for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The “6 villages for 2006” campaign will close when the final whistle blows in Munich on July 9. However, the finish of the campaign will not end the commitment of Canada’s soccer community to build better futures for orphaned and abandoned children around the world. The CSA will also partner with SOS Children’s Villages for the second year to celebrate the Global Peace Games across Canada. The Games, which had their Canadian launch on Parliament Hill on September 21, 2005, are an international event celebrated annually in more than 50 countries on the International Day of Peace. Last year young soccer players across Canada took part in soccer games and drills to mark the day which promotes youth engagement in global issues and in helping to build a more peaceful world.