Kids' Activities 14

World Football Day

	Members of the Kobe Angels present soccer balls to Nane Annan, wife of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and a UNICEF ambassador. (Kobe Shimbun)

June 19 was designated as World Football Day by UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund) and FIFA (the world governing body of soccer). To mark this day, soccer classes for kids and other events were held all over Japan. In eight places around the country, J. League players took on the job of coaching the kids. The kids were all delighted to have the chance to be taught by the J. League players they love to watch.

June 19 was chosen as World Football Day because UNICEF and FIFA were impressed by the efforts of the Kobe Angels - a girls' soccer team in Kobe - to help kids in Afghanistan. The girls on the team saw a newspaper article about kids in Afghanistan who are refugees but dream of playing in the World Cup, so they began to send soccer balls to the refugee kids. UNICEF heard about their efforts and promised to deliver the balls the girls collected to the refugee camps. So far they have collected over 600 balls. FIFA also joined in, setting June 19 as World Football Day.

The girls' efforts to sending soccer balls to Afghan refugees were introduced before the soccer class at Kobe Wing Stadium.