The Fédération Tahitienne de Football has met with council officials in Faa’a to provide an overview of the award-winning Just Play Programme as it looks to integrate it into local schools.

Just Play Project Manager Céline Haapuea met with Raymond Hinz, national education inspector responsible for the educational district of Faa’a, and his advisor in charge of sport in schools, Heifara Cross along with Laurent Heinis, Faa’a’s head of community activities and his football manager, Xavier Samin, to present the Just Play Programme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just Play is already present in schools on Moorea, and in certain suburbs around Papeete, with Haapuea hopeful she will soon be adding the schools of Faa’a to that list.

Introducing the programme to a new city requires a fair amount of work and logistics, starting with the requirement to run trainings to teachers and volunteers, as well as council staff responsible for running community activities. Just Play would also include local club AS Tefana in the collaboration, ensuring the coaches were trained to provide technical support.

In order to run the Just Play sessions, sporting and educational equipment, including balls, bibs, cones, pumps, would be supplied to each educational establishment.

Five main points were covered during the course of the meeting: the framework, social issues in the Pacific, football as a tool for development, the proposed pilot phase and Just Play Festivals.

1.Framework

  • OFC Vision
    • the administrating and development football in Oceania
    • leveraging the power and passion of football for social development
  • Launch of the programme in 2009 by the OFC Social Responsibility department across Oceania
  • Key themes: Enjoyment, Health, Sport, Respect
    • Key words which shape the courses and activities of FTF via the Just Play Programme

2. Social Issues in the Pacific

  • The content of the Just Play Programme is regularly updated and revised to the environment and social context of the country, with the key themes being;
    • Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs): obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular problems. Making the right choices for your health and wellbeing.
    • Gender Equality: discrimination, violence against women and children
    • Social Inclusion: excluding people with disabilities
    • Child Protection

3. Football as a tool for development

  • In addition to physical development, football can be a method to impart values important for the development of successful individuals and society
    • Reducing the risks factors associated with NCDs
    • Gender equality and women’s empowerment

4. Pilot Phase

  • The implementation of the programme is well defined in advance and includes;
    • Selection of districts in collaboration with the DGEE
    • Selection of schools and cycles in collaboration with the selected districts
    • Training with teachers and facilitators
    • Sporting and Educational Material supplied
    • Implementation of the activity in the establishment
    • Visit of the technical team: follow-up and support of teachers and facilitators
    • Evaluation: questionnaires for teachers and facilitators, and for the participating students

5. Just Play Festival

  • Festivals are generally run to highlight a specific theme or event, and are also used to successfully close out a run of the programme
    • Festivals have been held over the past two years in Papeete: Watch here
    • Just Play has been included in the school programme on Moorea since 2017: Watch here

Having given an initial introduction, Haapuea will next meet with the group in early 2021 to confirm the introduction of the pilot programme in Faa’a’s primary schools.