ISLAMABAD: FIFA and the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) have launched the Football for Schools program in Pakistan, targeting 3 million boys and girls across 3,000 public schools as the country seeks to rebuild football at the grassroots level.
The initiative, being implemented in collaboration with the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, will train educators to introduce football and life skills in schools, with FIFA supporting the program with 162,000 footballs to be distributed among participating schools across Pakistan.
More than 50 master trainers have so far been trained under FIFA instructors, with the training designed to create a wider network of educators who will take the program to schools in different regions and provinces.
Speaking at the launch, PFF President Syed Mohsen Gilani said the initiative was aimed at both expanding participation and identifying emerging talent at an early age.
“Grassroots is the backbone of football,” Gilani told Pakistan TV Digital, stressing the role of teachers in introducing children to the sport.
“Today is the last day of your course. Tomorrow is the first day of your mission,” he told the newly trained educators.
The program follows a cascade model under which the master trainers will train teachers and other educators in their respective areas. The Football for Schools app is also being made available in Urdu to support implementation.
Antonio Buenaño Sánchez, FIFA’s senior manager for Football for Schools, said the educators would serve as ambassadors for the program in their regions.
“It’s very rewarding” to see boys and girls in Pakistan willing to learn and passionate about football, Sanchez said during his first visit to the country.
He said FIFA was working with the PFF and the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme to ensure the initiative reaches schools across the country.
Sánchez said 54 to 55 educators had been trained and would take the program back to their regions, while FIFA was sending 162,000 footballs to Pakistan for distribution to participating schools.
He said many footballs manufactured in Pakistan eventually made their way overseas and argued that more of them should be reaching children in Pakistani schools.
The program’s organizers said the eventual objective was to train educators in all 3,000 participating schools, potentially giving at least 3 million children access to football and related life-skills activities.
The initiative is also being rolled out beyond major urban centers, with trainers drawn from areas including Khuzdar, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
FIFA’s Shazia Nasim described Football for Schools as a school-based learning program designed to identify and develop talent that remains hidden without access to training, equipment and structured opportunities.
Educators taking part in the training also highlighted the broader role of football in children’s development.
Yasmin, an educator from Daanish School Girls Hasilpur, said the three-day training had equipped participants with technical and life skills that could be applied in teaching students.
Sohail, a master trainer from Public School Hyderabad, said participants had initially viewed football primarily as a technical activity but had learned how it could also be used as an educational tool.
He said Pakistan’s youth had significant potential but needed “guidance and a proper path.”
PFF Technical Director Adeel Rizki said the program addressed a longstanding gap in Pakistan’s football development.
“Football starts in schools. For the past 20 to 30 years, we haven't had football in schools,” Rizki said.
He said the school system was the first step in creating a sustainable pathway, allowing children to understand the game, develop an interest in it and eventually progress through age-group structures from Under-10 and Under-12 to Under-15 and national teams.
Rizki said the next phase would focus on district and regional activities, followed by interschool championships, with wider participation needed to develop a stronger national football structure.
The launch also included representatives from UNESCO, with Fuad Pashayev describing the initiative as an opportunity to link sport and education and support youth development in Pakistan.
The program is being implemented as part of wider cooperation involving FIFA, PFF, UNESCO and the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, including activities in 15 districts.
The initiative comes as FIFA has shown growing interest in Pakistan’s football potential.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino previously told Pakistan TV Digital that he planned to visit Pakistan, while FIFA development chief Arsène Wenger said the country’s large population offered significant potential for youth development and grassroots football.
The PFF said the next major step would be a FIFA Talent Development Scheme expected to begin in January 2027, providing a more structured pathway for identifying and developing young players through age-group football.