WIFA and Mumbai City FC join hands to launch 'Just Play' grassroot program

The Western India Football Association (WIFA) with the support of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and Mumbai City FC is proud to announce the launch of the award winning Just Play pilot program in the state of Maharashtra. Just Play is an Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) program developed in 11 Pacific countries in partnership with the Australian Government, the UEFA Foundation and the Football Federation of Australia and UNICEF. Based on the success of the program in the Pacific, the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) took the initiative with OFC to develop the Just Play program in India partnership with All India Football Federation (AIFF).

The Just Play sessions are expected to begin in 10 schools in Mumbai from March of next year. The Programme is eventually expected to cover approximately 80 schools and reach 30,000 children across Maharashtra by the end of 2017. Besides the Greater Mumbai Region, the program is also expected to cover schools from parts of Maharashtra such as Kalyan / Dombivali, Ambarnath and Thane.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Aditya Thackrey said " Football is the most loved sport in the world and Government of India ,  SAI and WIFA has joined hands with the BMC to promote the sport. Just Play is a movement where the kids will learn about Sanitation, Hygiene and Gender equality along with Football and our aim is to introduce this in all the 1121 municipal schools and we will also be training all the PT teachers of these schools".  

 These social objectives were identified based on the fifth five year plan of the Central Government and the consensus of all partners involved. Social messages linked with these two objectives are incorporated in football sessions in a fun and interactive manner.

“We would not only be able to make a meaningful impact on the lives of children but also create pathways between Just Play and our WIFA grassroots programme. “said Mr Henry Menezes, the CEO of Western India Football Association.

Mr. Menezes also spoke about involving D- license coaches and sports management student to assist with running Just Play sessions in schools in the future and assist in monitoring the impact of the program on children and the wider community.

“This would be their chance to give back to the community “Mr. Menezes added.

Capitalizing on the momentum of the FIFA under 17 World Cup, an advocacy campaign focusing on ending violence towards women and children will also be formally developed and launched by WIFA early next year.

While FFA and OFC will assist AIFF and control the quality of the program, Just Play Maharashtra will be implemented by the WIFA with people from the state for the people of Maharashtra.  Building on from the experience in the Pacific, the program design recognises that the most critical factor in ensuring long term success as well as sustainability is local ownership.

Mr. Franck Castillo, the OFC Head of Social Responsibility along with Ms Supriya Kulkarni Padhye, OFC Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist worked with WIFA to train the future Just Play Maharashtra team on Monitoring and Evaluation as well as Project Management in Mumbai earlier this month.

Just Play is a sport for development program designed to target children aged 6-12 years.  Through the Programme children learn, grow and explore sport in a positive and meaningful way. Through the integration of social messages into all sessions and activities, children learn healthy sanitation habits, encourage gender equality and increase their school and community engagement.

The expansion of the Just Play Programme into India has been made possible because of the support of the Australian Government and the UEFA Foundation for Children.