Over 350 expected for first FIFA Football for Schools Festival in Guam

[May 4, 2022 – Harmon, Guam] Over 350 elementary school students and their coaches from 16 different schools will converge at the Guam Football Association National Training Center Saturday for the inaugural FIFA Football For Schools Festival.

“I’m excited for the games on Saturday because we get to play soccer with our classmates,” said Kole Lizama, an 11-year-old student at Guahan Academy Charter School, who also plays for the Tumon Typhoons Football Club. “I like that we are playing for our school and I think it will be fun that we will play matches against other schools too.”

The event will begin with an opening ceremony featuring a Parade of Colors and welcome remarks from event dignitaries ahead of opening kick off. Festival matches will begin at 9 a.m. with the final matches of the day set to kick off at 2 p.m.

Saturday’s event is one component of the FIFA Football for Schools program in its first-ever implementation in Guam. The FIFA-run program, in collaboration with UNESCO, “aims to contribute to the education, development, and empowerment of around 700 million children … and seeks to make football more accessible to both boys and girls around the world by incorporating football activities into the education system, in partnership with relevant authorities and stakeholders,” according to the program Web site.

“I am very pleased to have this program implemented in Guam’s schools and hope that more schools will take part in future editions,” said Valentino San Gil, GFA President. “This program is a very powerful initiative by FIFA that aims to develop not only young athletes, but young citizens in the community, as well as to strongly support life skills learned in schools through football.

“I would like to thank FIFA for the support in implementing this program in Guam, as well as all schools that are taking part in the first-ever edition of this program,” added San Gil.

In the weeks prior to Saturday’s event, Guam Football Association’s Football Events Division, led by Sam San Gil and Ashley Besagar, in collaboration with GFA coaches Isabella Bass, Thomas Castro, Hannah Cruz, Kiarra Hutcherson, Richelle Ragadio, Chyna Ramirez, and Kimberly Sherman, have been scheduled to visit schools to donate soccer equipment and to conduct sample training sessions for students, as well as for each school’s designated coaches and teachers in the program. In addition to support from GFA, school teachers and coaches are supported with content from the official FIFA Football for Schools mobile app. Content includes questions and discussions to have with school children about topics like respect, responsibility, accountability, continuing education, integrity, and many other themes related to a football skill to practice during training sessions.

While many of the students played in the recently concluded Triple J Auto Group Robbie Webber Youth League, others will be playing the sport for the first time.

“It’s fun and you get to play out on the field,” said Amalia Mantanona, a 10-year-old student who is playing the sport for the first time. “I liked kicking the ball and learning how to dribble the ball during training with the coaches. I’m excited to play on Saturday. I think it will be fun to play games.”

Guam is the eighth FIFA Member Association out of 211 to implement this program, which was first developed in 2019. A total of 16 schools have elected to be part of the program in its first year in Guam: Adacao Elementary School, Bishop Baumgartner Memorial Catholic School, C.L. Taitano Elementary School, Guahan Academy Charter School, Harvest Christian Academy, Inarajan Elementary School, Marcial Sablan Elementary School, Maria Ulloa Elementary School, Merizo Martyrs Memorial School, M.U. Lujan Elementary School, P.C. Lujan Elementary School, Capt. HB Price Elementary School, Talofofo Elementary School, Tamuning Elementary School, Upi Elementary School, and Wettengel Elementary School. Each school will feature one boys team and one girls team in Saturday’s festival.

As part of the program, GFA has also teamed up with the Guam Airport Police to deliver presentations on anti-bullying and character-building themes to the elementary school students at their respective schools.

“We at GFA absolutely believe in and support the objectives of the FIFA Football for Schools program and we are happy to see the program implemented for the first time in Guam in 16 different schools,” said Sam San Gil, GFA Football Events Director. “We’re also very happy to see more children play football, while also learning basic life skills and good citizenship through football-related avenues.”

There is no cost for schools to join the FIFA Football for Schools program. At Saturday’s event, each school team will receive a FIFA Football for Schools T-shirt and play in small-sided festival-style matches officiated by GFA youth referees.