FIFA’s Football for Schools (F4S) initiative, which uses fun football sessions to teach children life and academic skills, has kicked off in Japan with a launch event at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo. More than 90 children took part, experiencing the joy of the game while developing important values, and over 60 educators were trained, developing both football and essential life skills to empower girls and boys across the country.

The two-day programme included a “No Racism” education session with FIFA Women’s World Cup™ winner Aya Miyama, a member of the FIFA Players’ Voice Panel that champions the Global Stand Against Racism by bringing lived experience and leadership to the campaign.

“I had a wonderful experience at this event. The more I have put myself into the game of football, the more I felt that football was life itself, so I am confident that learning life skills through this Football for Schools will help make the world better in the future,” she said. “Also, I believe that the Players’ Voice Panel activities that we are working on will be further expanded by deepening our learning through football.”

Football for Schools, first launched in 2019, is now being implemented in 153 FIFA Member Associations (MAs).

"The launch of the FIFA Football for Schools programme in Japan was a fantastic milestone, especially with the participation of FIFA Players’ Voice Panel member Aya Miyama,” said Antonio Buenaño Sánchez, Senior Football for Schools Manager. “Her involvement emphasised the importance of the Education pillar in FIFA’s Global Stand Against Racism and the role of education in shaping and inspiring future generations.”

The general secretary of the Japan Football Association (JFA), Yukawa Kazuyuki, said Football for Schools would run alongside two existing programmes established by the JFA.

He explained that the JFA Kokoro Project, set up in 2006 in response to violence and bullying in schools, organised sessions involving athletes from various sports who conveyed, through their own experiences, the importance of having dreams.

That was followed in 2014 by the Primary School Physical Education Support Training Programme, which provides training to support the delivery of physical education lessons in line with the new curriculum guidelines.

“The Japan Football Association has long been committed to education,” Mr Kazuyuki said. “We believe that by incorporating elements of FIFA Football for Schools in this project, we will be able to further enhance it. Furthermore, we intend to draw on FIFA’s programmes in the various educational initiatives run by the JFA, such as the Kokoro Project and the JFA Academy, to support the healthy physical and mental development of children in collaboration with teachers and other stakeholders.”