On June 23rd, streetfootballworld celebrated another milestone with the opening of the inaugural Football for Hope Forum 2009. The opening was held at the Riverside Hotel in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa. The forum takes place in Vaal until June 25th.

Joseph Blatter, FIFA President, joined Jürgen Griesbeck, Managing Director of streetfootballworld; Wilfried Lemke, Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace; Dr. Irvin Khoza, Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup; and Lucas Radebe, former South African national team captain at the ceremony.

The forum is hosted by FIFA, the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee, and streetfootballworld. As part of Football for Hope, the forum features workshops, panel discussions and training sessions on issues ranging from sustainable HIV/AIDS prevention through football to the relationship between social development and talent identification.

Brainstorming with the best
After years of planning and cooperation, specialists and experts from academia, football, media, and Development through Football organisations will now gather for this three-day forum.

Discussing ideas for the continued progression in the field, representatives from organisations such as streetfootballworld, FIFA, adidas, UNAIDS, MYSA (Kenya), Espérance (Rwanda), KICKFAIR (Germany), the BBC, and the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) will assemble ideas for the continued progression in the field.

This also signals the largest gathering of streetfootballworld network members so far. Of the 81 network members, nearly half are attending this year’s forum to share their expertise and valuable experiences.

Bringing it all together
Along with the workshops, panel discussions, and training sessions, delegates attending the forum will have the opportunity to get involved in the stands and on the ground.

All delegates are invited to watch one of the semifinal matches of the FIFA Confederations Cup, and a select group will have the opportunity to visit a nearby Football for Hope implementing organisation (a Play Soccer South Africa site in Finetown) where they will see firsthand the impact that football can have on people’s lives.

A step in the right direction
With the forum organised every four years in coordination with the FIFA Confederations Cup, this year’s forum is on track to start this quadrennial experience off on the right foot.

Through the forum, streetfootballworld and FIFA hope to create awareness and a common understanding of Development through Football within the world of football, the media and the general public.