September 22: FIFA has opened two new mini-camps in the West Bank, giving children in Marah Rabah and Qusin permanent spaces to play soccer at a time when access to sports and other everyday activities has been severely disrupted.
The facilities have been developed with the Palestinian Football Association and co-financed by FIFA and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Both are now open for community use and will be formally opened this week.
Their first event is the Unite for Peace: Kids’ Cup, a five-day tournament involving 14 local teams and up to 160 children. FIFA’s point is that pitches are designed to remain in use long after the tournament ends rather than function as one-off event infrastructure.
A plot of land is located in front of the girls’ secondary school in Marah Rabah, south of Bethlehem. The second is in the northwestern part of Qusin, near the road that connects the village with Deir Sharaf.
FIFA says the two facilities are designed to provide safe and accessible spaces for children to exercise, meet friends and participate in organized football. The governing body also said the restrictions in the West Bank have disrupted access to schools, services and sports activities.
“The value of these FIFA Arena facilities will be measured by what happens on the pitches day after day,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“For children living in communities where life is often disrupted by restrictions and uncertainty, having a place to play football, meet their friends and participate in organized sports matters more than ever. Especially as we reflect on the International Day of Peace, celebrated yesterday, we hope that these FIFA Arenas will serve their communities for many years to come.”
The project is part of FIFA’s wider Arena programme, which aims to create small, sustainable football spaces in communities with limited access to sports infrastructure, and what community is more limited than those in Palestine right now?
The timing also ties in with FIFA’s Unite for Peace campaign, with the tournament kicking off on Monday 21 September around the International Day of Peace.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at (email protected)