Prince Ali inaugurates female football pitch at Zaatari

AMMAN — HRH Prince Ali, president of the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP), has inaugurated a female football pitch at Zaatari refugee camp in Mafraq, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Monday.

The AFDP, UEFA Foundation for Children and Lay’s trademark, announced their cooperation to turn the unsafe playgrounds in two refugee camps in northern Jordan into two brand new football pitches.

In the framework of this cooperation, a girls’ football pitch has been built to upgrade the current football facilities at the camp, while Azraq refugee camp has witnessed the establishment of a new updated playground for boys and girls.

The project started back in September 2017, and resulted in the establishment of a permanent full-size pitch for the people in the Zaatari camp, benefitting 35,000 children. The pitch was used in 600 games held within 20 tournaments and training courses throughout the year, where it contributed in giving 40 women and 40 men official certificates as certified football coaches.

The prince said that “when the children enter these playgrounds, they will have the guts to live their dreams, as these children are football players; defenders, attackers, goalkeepers, they are referees and they are fans”. All of them enjoy their time and learn how to play within one team. At the end, their lives will change even after the referee’s match ending whistle.

MENA snacks marketing director at PepsiCo, Mazen Masri, said that such projects at Zaatari camp help young boys and girls pursue their passion, while strengthening the spirit of interdependence and social solidarity which are simulated by all kinds of sports.

UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin, who visited the inauguration of the first pitch in 2017, said that the two pitches were designed in order to find an activity in daily life that the children could use to enjoy their time and keep up their spirit despite the state of war they face.