Friday, June 19, 2009              

Blatter inaugurates Football for Hope Forum next week

FIFA President, Joseph S. Blatter, Chairman of the 2010 World Cup Organising Committee, Irvin Khoza, and South Africa's former captain, Lucas Radebe, will officially open the first ever Football for Hope Forum on Tuesday at the Riverside Hotel in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa.

Over 100 leading experts in the field of social development through football from South Africa and around the world will come together to discuss the role that football plays in addressing social issues such as education, health promotion, social integration and HIV/Aids. The forum is a milestone in the Football for Hope movement led by FIFA and streetfootballworld, a centre of expertise that connects a global network of organisations that use football for positive social change.

Representatives from organisations using the world's favourite sport will join members of football associations and global development institutions for a three-day programme of seminars and practical workshops. According to Blatter, "by bringing together current and potential actors in the movement, this forum provides a unique opportunity to discuss football's contribution to social development and the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Africa."

Delegates will also get the chance to see the power of football in action with a visit to Play Soccer, an organisation that uses football to teach valuable life-skills to children in South African townships.