The ‘Fun Football’ programme included a series of activities and games and took place on Monday at Saleapaga, before moving on to the village of Lepa.
Around 150 eager youngsters were involved and each learned basic skills like dribbling with the ball before taking part in small-sided games.
On hand were several players from the SamoaTel National League, who volunteered to assist in running the festival.
Saleapaga Primary School teacher Fagaloga Lupesoliai Uelese was delighted to see football being used as a tool to bring joy to the local children.
“This programme is very good for all the children, especially since they suffered from the tsunami last year. It’s a good way for them to recover from their sadness,” Uelese says.
The participants were given the opportunity to win new pairs of football boots during a dance competition. They were divided into four different age-groups and the best dancers were then awarded the boots. All the children were also presented with gift packs.
“We here at the Football Federation Samoa (FFS) wanted to show our support to the children of Saleapaga and Lepa, many of whom were affected in last year’s tsunami, by organising this fun day where they were able to interact with other kids by playing football,” FFS chief executive Fred Young says.
“We hope that at least for a few hours they were able to forget some of the hardships they experienced from the devastating tsunami and enjoy themselves.”
The Fun Football programme was organised by FFS and was made possible with the support of the villages of Saleapaga and Lepa. FFS were given access to the school grounds at both villages to run the event.
For more on Samoa football visit www.footballsamoa.ws