THE BLOG BY CPD FOOTBALL | The World of Indian football and beyond by Chris Punnakkattu Daniel

Indian football community comes out to support ONE GOAL workshop on football & nutrition

ONE GOAL Workshop Mumbai

ONE GOAL workshop

Foreign and domestic football stakeholders took part in a workshop organised by ONE GOAL to educate community coaches and youth footballers about the role nutrition plays in the lives of a professional athlete.

The interactive discussion on nutrition led by Liverpool FC International Football Academy coach, Michael Rice, and AIFF coach, Kalpana Dass, saw participation from some of India’s leading football organisations including the All India Football Federation, Football Players Association of India, Libero Sports, Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools, Soccer Schools of Excellence and OSCAR Foundation.

In addition, the Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein-driven Asian Football Development Project served as a primary organiser of the entire program while one of the world’s largest development organisation, World Vision, provided nutrition experts and invited their representatives to participate in the discussion.

ONE GOAL is the Asian Football Confederation’s flagship social responsibility initiative. The campaign seeks to transform child nutrition in the Asian region by engaging players, fans and football lovers to become ambassadors for good nutritional practices and engage and encourage governments to invest more in helping children to access nutritious foods so they can reach their full potential. ONE GOAL also invests in Grassroots Football Development and healthy lifestyle of young people.

The ONE GOAL session was a part of Barclays Premier League Live in Mumbai, a two-day free international fan park which brings the excitement of the Barclays Premier League to its global fan base. As committed supporters of ONE GOAL, the Premier League offered this high profile platform to ONE GOAL to educate the public on the importance of nutrition and raise awareness about its mission to fight malnutrition and obesity in Asia.

AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das was pleased to see an event focusing on nutrition organised at Barclays Premier League Live, “It’s great to see that ONE GOAL has taken the initiative to educate the Indian football community on this important topic and that the Premier League has provided them with its full support.”

“For India to grow into a strong football nation, it is critical for our citizens to have an understanding of the role that nutrition plays in their development and well-being. AIFF is honoured to be a part of this campaign and wishes it continued success on its mission.”

On the occasion, Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Chairman of the AFC CSR Committee communicated, “Addressing issues of malnutrition faced by many youth in Asia by educating them on nutrition will not only build a stronger Asia, it will also help build a stronger football community.” Michael Rice, Liverpool FC International football Academy; Abhishek Yadav, Indian National Footballer; Sony Thomas, Director World Vision India were also at the ONE GOAL EVENT.

Speaking at the event, Sony Thomas, Director, World Vision India, said, “We believe that by addressing the issue of child malnutrition, we can directly impact the growth and well being of a nation. This collaborative venture with AFC and the All India Football Federation should help us amplify the impact of our nutrition programmes and bring them to scale.”

“World Vision India through its 90-day supplementary feeding programme UMANG that provides additional meals to severely malnourished children in over 43 locations has reached over 50,000 children and hopes to cover an equal number in the next phase.”

Stefan Germann, ONE GOAL Executive Director, stated: “The ONE GOAL workshop at the Barclays Premier League Live event was a success. Given that India is faced with a double burden of high malnutrition and obesity rates, the time is now to begin educating all stakeholders about the importance of nutrition and healthy living. We are pleased that so many Indian football community members attended this workshop and offered to serve as ambassadors for our mission to ensure nutrition for every child in Asia.”