Frequently Asked Questions on the Youth Development through Football project

What is ‘Youth Development through Football’?

Youth Development through Football - or YDF for short - is a project that forms part of the South African-German development cooperation. It is jointly financed by the German Government and the European Union and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ in ten African countries in partnership with the South African Department of Sport and Recreation (SRSA). The project aims to empower young girls and boys to shape their future. It uses the enthusiasm of the youth for football to involve them in education on socially relevant topics. The project was started in 2007 and will run until 2012. It is active in all South African provinces and in nine other African countries. It cooperates closely with governmental and non-governmental institutions and private enterprises to establish lasting structures. The project is part of the South African Government's Mass Participation Programme (MPP).

When and why was the project started?

In 2006 Germany hosted the FIFA World Cup™. One of the lessons learnt was that football can serve to approach the youth and motivate them to engage in social topics. YDF was created to tap into this spirit. The project started in 2007 and aims to develop girls and boys, as well as young women and men, between the ages of 12 and 20 in previously disadvantaged areas in South Africa, where football has its roots.

What are YDF’s goals?

The Youth Development through Football (YDF) project aims to use the passion of socially disadvantaged girls and boys for football to motivate them to take control of their lives. Through sport they gain valuable life skills, develop a strong sense of team spirit and, among other things, learn how to deal with conflict in a peaceful manner. Another of YDF's aims is to integrate girls and boys from different backgrounds and of different skin colour. The project is a long-term investment. Together with its national partner, the South African Ministry of Sport and Recreation (SRSA), YDF aims to create enduring structures that will remain in place long after the final whistle of the World Cup has blown. The project is to be rolled out across South Africa and into nine other African countries by 2012.

Who finances the project?

The Youth Development through Football project is financed by the German Government - through the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development - with 7.5 million EUR, and with a further 6 million EUR from the European Union. The money is available for a period of five years and covers YDF's activities in ten African countries.

Where is YDF active?

The Youth Development through Football project is active in all nine South African provinces and in nine other African countries (Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Swaziland and Zambia).

How did YDF choose the countries where it has already established or is going to establish the Youth Development through Football project?

Certain criteria were part of the Government-to-Government negotiations and were agreed upon with the South African Department of Sport and Recreation: the countries had to be in sub-Saharan Africa; they were to include the northern, southern, eastern and western part of the region; and finally cover English-, French- and Portuguese- speaking countries. Strong and dedicated partners were another asset taken into consideration.

What are the major transformation issues for YDF in these countries?

The issues differ from country to country. One that they all have in common is the concern about HIV/AIDS. In addition to this key issue, the supply of safe water is of great importance in Zambia, for example. Namibia observes many suicides among teenagers and aims to offer them meaningful activities in which to take part. In Rwanda the focus is on reconciliation, and in other countries employment is the core issue, which YDF addresses together with its partners. 

Who are YDF’s partners?

YDF does not reinvent the wheel. Instead, it partners with governmental and non-governmental organisations and private enterprises which already use football or sport for youth development. In Mamelodi, for example, YDF works closely with eight primary schools. In Mpumalanga the scouts are strong partners of YDF and in the Eastern Cape, the Youth Development through Football project runs a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with Volkswagen South Africa on HIV/AIDS prevention. 

What are YDF’s criteria for partnership?

A potential partner is already involved in youth development through football or sport and shares YDF’s views and approach when it comes to addressing social issues. A potential partner is highly committed and willing to join the social network for youth development through sport.

What are ‘life skills’ and on which life skills does YDF concentrate?

When YDF talks about ‘life skills’ it refers to acquired knowledge that supports the adoption of healthy behavior. Life skills are abilities that every child needs in his or her everyday life and which are not merely acquired through regular school education. YDF focuses on those life skills that address the crucial social issues children face in their communities, such as gender inequality, HIV/AIDS, drugs, crime and violence, environmental pollution and unemployment. The combination of sport and educational activities helps the youth to obtain the knowledge necessary for developing healthy attitudes and taking one’s own future ‘in hand’.

How do partners benefit from the cooperation with GIZ and its Youth Development through Football project?

Partners benefit in many ways. As in many other countries, sport in South Africa is not part of the school curriculum. With an emphasis on previously disadvantaged areas, YDF assists schools and communities with establishing lasting structures that allow sport to be integrated into their curricula and used for youth development. YDF supports its partners with educational measures such as developing programmes aimed at training trainers. It facilitates events to spread the idea of youth development through football, and fosters networking approaches for the purpose of joining forces and exchanging experiences. YDF has developed a manual for instructors, which gives advice on how to train football coaches in a way that they concurrently become social workers and role models for players and communities, and a manual for trainers that facilitates the implementation of skills such as leadership or entrepreneurship and of preventative measures to avoid HIV/AIDS.

Why does YDF focus on events?

YDF uses events to showcase the project and to convey the idea of youth development through sport in general, and particularly through football. Events offer a unique opportunity to reach many people and to engage them in football and life-skills activities.

Who does YDF network with and about what?

The establishment of strong networks for youth-development-through-sport initiatives is one of YDF’s core activities. The project fosters Africa-wide networking approaches for the purpose of joining forces and exchanging experiences. The Youth Development through Football project has entered into a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with NIKE in order to support the Sport for Social Change Network Southern Africa so that it may function effectively and independently.

What does YDF want to achieve through its networking activities?

The Youth Development through Football project wants to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise and to strengthen NGO partners in South Africa and other African countries through the use of synergy. The YDF Western Cape network and the network in Ghana can serve as an example: They have connected and strengthened various individual NGOs, alleviating the need for cooperation with governmental institutions.

Is YDF’s approach in the various provinces and countries standardised?

YDF’s approach is a customised rather than a standardised one. It differs according to the needs of the individual provinces and countries. Whereas HIV/AIDS prevention is a crucial topic in Lesotho, the lack of safe water dominates in Zambia, for example. In South Africa’s Western Province, the focus has so far been on networking, and in Gauteng, the project kicked off with the setting up of football leagues as part of the Mamelodi 8 YDF School League.

How did YDF choose the 8 schools involved in the Mamelodi project?

Mamelodi is only a 30-minute drive from Pretoria. It is one of South Africa’s oldest townships and consists of both a formal housing area and informal settlements. The Mahlasedi Masana Primary School is situated in the latter area. Its dedicated principal Joe Vuma was, and still is, the driving force behind the cooperation with GIZ’s Youth Development through Football project. He was also instrumental in promoting the participation of the other seven schools, which are all located in the closer vicinity of Mahlasedi Masana.

How does YDF identify its coaches?

In projects that are school related, teachers or sports assistants with a passion for football and community work volunteer as coaches. In other projects, YDF focuses on young volunteers who are identified by the partner NGOs. Some of these youths are already involved in football and youth development, but most of them join to develop new skills and enhance their future prospects.

How does YDF select the children who take part in the Mamelodi 8 League?

YDF focuses on disadvantaged girls and boys rather than on talent. The youths volunteer to take part in the league.

What is the YDF ‘Toolkit’?

When YDF talks about its ‘Toolkit’, it refers to two manuals which have been developed to document successful approaches and make them available for interested communities, provinces or countries. The instructor manual emphasises how to educate coaches further so that they may become social workers, and vice versa. Football coaches are far more than ‘just’ trainers: They are role models for the youths they train and also for their communities, but are frequently unaware of the importance of their behaviour and lifestyle. The coach manual advises coaches on how to integrate social topics into football training. The focus is on leadership and entrepreneurship, on the prevention of HIV/AIDS and crime and violence, as well as on environmental and health issues. Conflict solution without violence is just one example.

What is the role of the South African Department of Sport and Recreation and how does YDF integrate with governmental structures?

The Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) is the national partner of the Youth Development through Football project in South Africa and the guarantor of YDF’s sustainability. SRSA has integrated the project into its Mass Participation Programme and has made ‘sport for development’ part of the South African sport policy. SRSA and YDF jointly decide on the scope of the project and on project activities. SRSA nominated sports coordinators in the South African provinces that are playing a crucial role in putting the YDF ‘Toolkit’ into practice.

What has been achieved so far?

The University of Johannesburg closely monitors and evaluates the YDF project and its achievements. So far almost 30,000 youths in South Africa and another 30,000 in the other African countries have been directly involved in youth development measures through football with more than one third of them being girls. More than 500 coaches have thus far taken part in the project, and some 100 instructors have been trained and now function as ambassadors for the YDF concept. ‘Sport for development’ has become part of the South African sport policy.