EA SPORTS FC FUTURES Partners with UNICEF on Namibia Futures

EA SPORTS FC FUTURES Announces Partnership with UNICEF and Shares First-Year Report

Big steps taken for the positive development of young people in Namibia are also planting the seeds of global change

Electronic Arts' EA SPORTS FC FUTURES initiative reached 170,000 people in its first year, and, as another sign of its commitment to making the game accessible to everyone, unveiled a new and comprehensive program with UNICEF called Namibia Futures. This multi-year partnership will use the power of football to create lasting social change in Namibia and beyond, reaching more than 46,000 children with an initial investment of 1.2 million pounds sterling.

[caption id="attachment_66227" align="aligncenter" width="1437"] Kuhatjiua Tjapaka and Nopoo Kandjoze.
The NFA Galz & Goals project is a partnership between the Namibia Football Association and UNICEF, empowering girls aged 10-15 to make healthy choices in life through participation in U/13 and U/15 football leagues and festivals that integrates life skills, HIV/AIDS education and healthy living.[/caption]

EA SPORTS FC FUTURES Announces Partnership with UNICEF!

Half of Namibia's children face multidimensional poverty, which reduces opportunities for social mobility, increases the risk of exploitation and abuse, and is a major reason many girls, in particular, fail to complete their education. UNICEF, together with its partners in the country, already provides accessible interventions so that girls can gain new life skills and vocational training, often transforming their futures through the platform of sport. Through Namibia Futures, UNICEF aims to reach 46,000 more young people in Namibia and support them, both on and off the pitch, with football- and play-based education so they can reach their potential.

Andrea Hopelain, EA SPORTS General Manager and Senior Vice President of Publishing, said, "Following more than five years of successful collaboration between EA SPORTS and Football Aid for UNICEF, we're excited to expand the partnership between our two organizations." "Through this program, we hope to meaningfully impact the lives of many young people in Namibia by using the power of football and our EA SPORTS FC platform."

"Today there are 300 million adolescent girls worldwide. With the right resources, networks and opportunities, they could be the largest force for change the world has ever seen," says Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of the UNICEF United Kingdom Committee (UNICEF UK). "Our new partnership with EA SPORTS FC, Namibia Futures, will support more than 46,000 young Namibians in building a better future, both on the football pitch and off it. I want to thank EA SPORTS FC for standing by children, and for helping UNICEF not only improve adolescents' physical wellbeing, but also help them develop the essential life skills that will benefit and transform their lives through our partnership."

This year marks the fifth year of the major partnership between EA SPORTS and Football Aid for UNICEF. United by the goal of helping protect play for children everywhere, EA SPORTS has helped raise nearly 100 million pounds sterling to support UNICEF's transformative work.

Shane Horgan, General Manager of Soccer Aid Productions, said: "We're delighted to continue our long-standing partnership with EA SPORTS and to deepen the extremely positive impact this relationship is already having on Football Aid for UNICEF. We are all incredibly proud to be part of such important work, which we know will continue to help improve the lives of children all around the world."

Having enjoyed a successful first year, FC FUTURES has opened the doors to the game for more than 170,000 children across six continents through the following initiatives:

• Developed and published a library of 7 free apps in partnership with UEFA as resources for young players and coaches to use in training. These FC FUTURES ACADEMY apps are currently being integrated into 54 National Football Federations and their Coach Education Programs.

• Supported the creation and renovation of 11 pitches worldwide, from South London to Sydney.

• Provided football clubs, coaches and children with more than 12,000 footballs, along with other products including boots, cones, bibs and more.

• Partnered with numerous organizations, brands and charities, including UEFA Grassroots, the Premier League, LA LIGA and now UNICEF, to make all this possible and deliver programs with lasting impact.

• FC FUTURES ambassador Ian Wright was given the first FC FUTURES Hero Award in recognition of his outstanding work in helping the world fall in love with football, and 10,000 pounds sterling was pledged to a football cause of his choosing.

James Salmon, EA SPORTS FC Senior Marketing Director, said, "It's been a busy and extremely productive first year for FC FUTURES." "We're incredibly proud of what we've achieved so far, and we thank our partners, ambassadors and all the community leaders who helped bring FC FUTURES to life. There's much more to be done to support football at the community level on a global scale, but this collaborative effort will continue to make sure our investment is felt by local communities around the world who will truly benefit from the power of football."

Footballer, pundit and FC FUTURES Ambassador Ian Wright said: "As an ambassador for FC FUTURES, it's an honor for me to receive the first FC FUTURES Hero Award, and it's been a great pleasure for me to see how far the initiative has come over the past year. I was incredibly proud to be able to kick off the program with the launch of the first community pitch, the Rocky & Wrighty Arena, at Turnham Academy in South London, where I learned to play and fall in love with the game as a child. It's very rewarding to see the impact this has had not just in London, but on young people around the world."

Alongside Namibia Futures, FC FUTURES will continue opening new pitches, creating and publishing more training apps, providing more play equipment and further expanding its partnerships, so that FC FUTURES can keep pursuing its goal of reaching everyone.

To learn more about FC FUTURES and access the free digital library of training apps, FC FUTURES ACADEMY, you can visit this address. For more information about the partnership between FC FUTURES and UNICEF, you can go here.

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