One of the world’s biggest football festivals is aiming for its biggest audience yet this year as it goes digital ahead of taking place this December.
This year marks the eighth instalment of the annual Gazprom Football for Friendship international children’s social programme, aimed at children interested in participating in the sport.
Aimed at girls and boys of around 12 years of age, players will represent different cultures and countries in mixed teams, while young journalists are invited to cover the events.
In its previous seven years, Football for Friendship has seen more than 5 million people participate in the sporting and educational events in 211 counties and regions, while the 2019 event saw a Guinness World Record set for the most nationalities in a football training session.
For the first time, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 festival will be held entirely online, with unique virtual spaces and gaming platforms hosting a range of children’s e-sport competitions.
Among the innovations for this year is the first ever Online F4F World Championship, which will see 32 teams of 12-year-old cyberathletes compete together across gender, physical and language barriers.
The event, which is aiming to unite 10,000 players from 100 countries, has attracted praise from football coaches around the world.
Diogo Netto, manager of technical development and social responsibility of the Brazil national football team, said: “Football for Friendship has always been open for participants with different physical abilities.
“The Football for Friendship Digital Platform contributes to the key goal of the project – to unite people all over the world, allowing everyone to get out onto the football field and experience incredible emotions with new friends.”
Rene Rantusa Lampreht, an aspiring coach from Slovenia, added: “I’ve participated in the programme several times. It’s an amazing experience that helped me make friends from different countries.
“The news about the eighth season is great: even when we are apart, we will all be able to get together and play football safely.”
The festival, which is backed by UEFA Champions League sponsors Gazprom, is backed by some of the biggest sporting bodies in the world, including FIFA and the International Olympic Committee.
