Islamabad (GNP): The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) announced the launch of its Football For Schools programme, a nationwide initiative that will see more than 150,000 footballs distributed to schools across Pakistan, at an AFC Grassroots Day celebration held on at Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad.
The announcement was made by PFF President Syed Mohsen Gilani at an event that brought together 56 young players, eight teams of seven, split equally between boys and girls, for a day of grassroots football celebrating the sport’s role in communities across the country.
Pakistan’s celebration was part of the 13th AFC Grassroots Football Day, in which a record 45 Member Associations joined the Asian Football Confederation in marking the annual event, held on May 23 in alignment with FIFA’s World Football Week, enabling the AFC to further contribute to the United Nations’ Football for the Goals initiative.
“Grassroots is a football factory from where the final product is nurtured and developed,” said President Gilani. “The journey for kids starts at the grassroots before they can eventually play at a national level. This AFC Grassroots Day was organized by the PFF to reinforce the idea that grassroots football is a key priority for the PFF.”
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The Football For Schools programme will be formally launched in the near future, with the mass distribution of footballs designed to expand access to the sport in school environments across the country. President Gilani described it as part of a broader suite of youth programmes the federation intends to implement.
Saturday’s event also featured a dedicated safeguarding awareness session for parents, where an animated video was screened to educate families on child protection principles reflecting the PFF’s commitment to ensuring football environments are safe for all participants.
A highlight of the day was the participation of girls’ and boys’ teams competing side by side. “The great thing is that girls and boys will participate together in our Grassroots Day celebrations,” President Gilani noted, pointing to the federation’s long-term development agenda as a driving force behind the day’s programming.
Pakistan Football Federation president Syed Mohsen Gilani met AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa on the sidelines of the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada.
Sheikh Salman reaffirmed his full support for Pakistan football, emphasising that the stability of the PFF remains a key priority for the Asian football family.
The AFC president also expressed satisfaction over the significant progress made by the PFF over the past year, which has seen the federation make strides across multiple fronts, including the development of FIFA Arena pitches, entry into the FIFAe Nations League, the growth of the Pakistan women’s national team and the launch of the Football for Mental Health initiative in partnership with the United Nations.
The meeting was attended by PFF vice-president and Chief Operating Officer.
