Opening of First Football for Hope Centre Heralds a New Dawn for Khayelitsha

Cape Town, South Africa (ots/PRNewswire) - The first
Football for Hope Centre in Khayelitsha in the outskirts of Cape Town
opened its doors today (5 December 2009). FIFA President Joseph S.
Blatter was joined by Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, 2010 FIFA
World Cup Organising Committee South Africa (OC) CEO Danny Jordaan,
South African Football Association President Kirsten Nematandani and
Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town Dan Plato at the celebration
of the latest milestone of 20 Centres for 2010, the Official Campaign
of the 2010 FIFA World Cup(TM). Among the special guests were
Football for Hope ambassador Dr. Gabriele Princess Inaara the Begum
Aga Khan and former Bafana Bafana captain Lucas Radebe.

The centre, which is the first of 20 community centres, will help
to tackle HIV/AIDS and some of the biggest issues facing young people
across the African continent. "With the opening of this Football for
Hope Centre, we can now see the real legacy that the 2010 FIFA World
Cup will leave in Africa," said the FIFA President. "This centre will
use people's passion for football to transform communities and to
provide hope and opportunities for young people. Many years from now
people will still be benefiting from this and the other 20 Centres
for 2010."

The next five centres will be built by FIFA and its strategic
ally streetfootballworld in disadvantaged communities in Kenya,
Namibia, Mali, Rwanda and Ghana and will address crucial issues like
health, education, gender equality, peace-building and the
environment as well as HIV and AIDS - considered to be one of the
greatest challenges faced by young people in Africa.

"When the FIFA President asked me to become a Football For Hope
ambassador several months ago, I accepted very happily. Football for
Hope offers a unique platform for various sectors of society to
implement social change," said Begum Inaara Aga Khan.

The centre in Khayelitsha has been built in an area once
notorious for crime and violence as part of an initiative to breathe
new life into the community. It provides rooms for public health
services and informal education, office space, common space for
community gatherings and a football turf pitch.

"We are hoping that this initiative will have a positive
influence in our society and enhance our efforts to build a better
future for our young people. For us it was always important that this
FIFA World Cup would touch the lives of ordinary people, and this
campaign is a great example," explained Nematandani.

Each of the 20 centres will be run by an existing community
organisation. The Football for Hope Centre in Khayelitsha will be
managed by Grassroot Soccer, a South African-based non-profit
organisation that uses football to educate young people about HIV and
AIDS and empower them with the knowledge to live HIV-free. "This was
more like a crime spot, but now it is more like an activity spot
where people come to enjoy themselves," said Zamayedwa Sogayise,
chairperson of the Khayelitsha Development Forum.

Note for editors:

Footage, photos, press and background information from the
inauguration are available free of charge for editorial purpose on
http://ftp.fifa.org (Username: media_sa, Password: obisRfXen632), on
the FIFA Media Channel (http://media.fifa.com) and on
http://www.streetfootballworld.org/press.

About Football for Hope

Football for Hope is a movement which uses the power of the game
for positive social change. The movement is led by FIFA and
streetfootballworld.

About streetfootballworld

streetfootballworld is a social profit organisation that promotes
positive change through football. Founded in 2002, the
non-governmental organisation is a leading contributor to the field
of Development through Football and works toward social change on a
global scale. At the core of streetfootballworld's work is the
streetfootballworld network, which connects 82 organisations in 54
countries worldwide that use the world's most popular sport to
address social issues.

To find out more about Football for Hope, please visit FIFA.com
and http://www.streetfootballworld.org.

For more information please contact:

FIFA Media Office Johannesburg (RSA):
media-sa@fifa.org, http://www.FIFA.com
FIFA Office (RSA):
Delia Fischer
Mobile: +27832010470
Wolfgang Eichler
Mobile: +27832010471
streetfootballworld (RSA):
Mike Geddes, Communications Manager
Mobile: +27765073157,
Geddes@streetfootballworld.org
streetfootballworld (Germany):
Carolin Strunz, Head of Communications
Mobile: +49(0)30-39-80-72-07,
strunz@streetfootballworld.org

ots Originaltext: FIFA
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
FIFA Media Office Johannesburg (RSA): media-sa@fifa.org,
http://www.FIFA.com; FIFA Office (RSA): Delia Fischer, Mobile:
+27832010470; Wolfgang Eichler, Mobile: +27832010471;
streetfootballworld (RSA): Mike Geddes, Communications Manager,
Mobile: +27765073157,
Geddes@streetfootballworld.org; streetfootballworld (Germany):
Carolin Strunz, Head of Communications, Mobile: +49(0)30-39-80-72-07,
strunz@streetfootballworld.org