Ottawa, Ontario \u0096 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 \u0093Canada Soccer House\u0094 in the new SOS Village in Rustenburg, South Africa.
\u200bThe 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 \u0096 Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Burnaby, and Victoria \u0096 with the tentative dates for the tournament set for June 30-July 22, 2007.
\u200bIt 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.
\u200bCSA Chief Operating Officer, Kevan Pipe, voiced his appreciation and satisfaction that the CSA was able to facilitate the donation at today’s press conference. \u0093Those 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,\u0094 said Pipe.
\u200b\u0093Soccer 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.\u0094
\u200bEngland’s Football Association (The FA) has also contributed an additional $22,000 to cover the installation and construction of the field.
\u200b\u0093The charity SOS Children’s Villages is The FA’s International Charity Partner for 2006\u0094, said The FA’s Head of International Relations, Jane Bateman. \u0093The 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.\u0094
\u200b\u0093We 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.\u0094
\u200bRapidly becoming \u0091Canada’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 \u0096 \u00936 villages for 2006′.
\u200bAfter 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.
\u200b\u0093This 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,\u0094 he said. \u0093We are all excited to see where this partnership may lead us in the future.\u0094
\u200bCreated to build awareness of international soccer audiences of the plight of orphaned and abandoned children around the world, the goal of \u00936 villages for 2006\u0094 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 \u0093Canada Soccer House\u0094 in Rustenburg, South Africa. The SOS Rustenburg Village is within eyesight of one of the sites for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
\u200bThe \u00936 villages for 2006\u0094 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.