A total of 26 teachers and community group leaders took part in the two-day facilitators course at the Cook Islands Football Association (CIFA) headquarters in Matavera.
CIFA Just Play project manager Michelle Paiti explained in her opening address how football can be used as a tool for social development and emphasised the importance of the teachers and leaders in delivering the programme.
Instructor Jimmy Katoa then conducted the course with assistance from OFC Just Play technical coordinator Emmie Sope. The content included both theory and practical sessions and participants were guided through the Just Play coaching manual, which will assist them in delivering the sessions throughout the six-week pilot phase.
The pratical sessions were made possible by the involvement of 60 school children from the Matavera area and the youngsters responded enthusiastically to the message of the Just Play programme.
The pilot phase will run for six weeks, during which the CIFA Just Play team will visit the schools to offer support and assistance to the instructors. Fun football festivals will be organised for the children towards the end of the phase.
Paiti and Katoa will also monitor the progress of the programme during the pilot phase so that recommendations and adaptions can be made to help assist with the implementation of phase two and ensure that Just Play has a sustainable future in the Cook Islands.
Just Play is a unique FIFA-approved grassroots programme which promotes physical activity for primary-aged children while encouraging community involvement and healthy living.
Developed by the OFC social responsibility and technical departments, Just Play was launched in Vanuatu last April and has since been introduced in Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, Solomon Islands and South Auckland in New Zealand.
Next on the agenda are Fiji and Papua New Guinea while OFC is also currently working in New Zealand with Special Olympics (NZ) on a Just Play programme for people with mental disabilities.
OFC is working closely with UEFA, the Government of Australia – through its agencies the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) – and Football Federation Australia (FFA) to roll out the programme across the Pacific. The Australian Government has shown its support to the project by contributing AU$4million.
In South Auckland, Just Play is supported by OFC’s partnership with the Sir John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation, Counties Manukau Sport and Auckland Football Federation.
For more on Cook Islands football go to www.cookislandsfootball.com