About the African CAF School Football Championship
This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
Hibapress-Rabat-Caf
The African CAF School Football Championship constitutes a flagship development initiative carried out by the African Football Confederation (CAF), dedicated to structured school football. Its main objective is to create and perpetuate a high -level continental competition in the school environment, in order to encourage young Africans to remain in the education system while flourishing through the practice of football.
The program revolves around several complementary pillars, designed to increase the social impact of football and strengthen the institutional capacities of participating countries through training modules.
Vision : Offer each young girl and boy a future in football. Assignment : Collaborate with African schools and the competent government authorities to organize, through member associations, football -related programs across the continent. Reason for being: Use the fundamental values of football to promote the integral development of African youth.
Program pillars:
The game: The African School Football Championship is a structured annual competition, disputed between African school groups. Social impact: The program incorporates support projects aimed at using football as a vector of community engagement and social transformation around the schools involved. Capacity building: He intends to support CAF member associations in the exercise of their football governance mandate, through targeted training. The tournament
The CAF’s African School Football Championship is open to boys and girls under the age of 15. The 2023/24 edition mobilized 804,480 young people from 28,862 schools distributed in 44 countries, thus recording an increase of 40 % compared to the inaugural edition.
74 % Participants took part in the competition for the first time that year. 72 % Young people have traveled outside their country for the first time thanks to their participation in the continental phases. Participation in figures Season Girls Schools Boys Total schools Participants Participants Total young 2022/23 7 201 10 563 17 764 179 899 263 795 443 694 2023/24 12 276 16 586 28 862 306 900 497 680 804 480 2024/25 14 868 20 983 35 851 297 360 419 660 717 020 Total 34 345 48 132 82,477 784 159 1,181,035 1 965 194 Capacity building programs
These programs, carried out in parallel with the qualifying phases and the final phases of the championship, aim to ensure global development of young people, both on the field and outside.
They also include modules for teachers, real educational tutors of students, with the following training:
Young referees program : For aspiring referees. Young sports doctors program : For future health professionals specializing in sport. Young Reporters Program : intended for apprentice sports journalists. CAF license D : initial training of coaches for teachers. Child protection program : to guarantee a safe and ethical environment around school football. Key capacity building figures Program 2022/23 2023/24 young reporters 210 210 young referees 140 120 young Sport doctors 175 300 License D – CAF 100 100 Protection Program (Safeguarding) – 150
Other results obtained during the continental final phases:
Participants Young referees program 108 sports doctors 110 young reporters 180 coaches (coaches) 210 Leadership program 100 Financial endowment
Zonal phase:
Winners: $ 100,000 Finalists: $ 75,000 Third: $ 50,000
Continental final phases:
Winners: $ 300,000 Finalists: 200,000 dollars Third: 150,000 dollars Impact of financial endowments
The amounts allocated, thanks to the support of the Word Foundation, have improved or build school infrastructure across the continent.
Investments have notably focused on the rehabilitation of classrooms, the construction of wells and study centers, the development of training grounds, canteens, the acquisition of school bus, computer equipment and sports equipment provided by PUMAofficial partner of CAF.
Support for African football legends
The championship benefits from the active involvement of emblematic figures of African football, which participate in development programs on the sidelines of the competition.
Among the legends present are:
Asamoah gyan (Ghana) Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo) Daniel Amokachi (Nigeria) Lucas Radebe (South Africa) Amanda Dlamini (South Africa) Abdi Kassim Sadalla (Tanzania)
Distribution of balloons
In a desire to ensure equitable access to football, the CAF distributes 800 official PUMA balloons to each of the members who are participating in the African school championship.
