​Tacloban City - Four FFLA players and one young leader from Tacloban will travel from Tacloban, Philippines to Moscow, Russia for The Football for Hope (FFH) Festival, an official event of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™.
Of the 865 children who enrolled and completed the Football for Life Academy (FFLA) programme from 2016 – 2017, two females and two male players, and a youth leader have been selected to form the FFLA delegation: Daniel, 15, from Caibaan, Mariane, 16, from Sabang, Nilda, 18, from Fishermans Village, and Carl, 19, from Magallanes. Joining them is Coach Rhobs, 29, from Greenville, Suhi, who was selected for her exemplary performance as a FFLA football coach and young mentor for the players.
The five young champions representing FFLA and their communities will spend 7 days in Moscow to learn, share, and connect with 240 other young people from around the world in a series of workshops, cultural exchanges, and football events, culminating in an incredible opportunity to attend a FIFA World Cup match! The trip marks a life-changing experience, and especially for these young champions, a rare opportunity to be part of the world’s biggest sporting event; in the process, travel to the other side of the world. Nilda probably summed it up best when she said, ‘My grandmother is so proud - I'm the first in my family to ever have a passport and now the whole community calls me the Russia girl’.
The FFH Festival 2018 will bring together 48 delegations from all over the world to gather in Moscow from 25 June – 05 July 2018. The event will demonstrate to the global football community and bring to general public awareness the impact of football in pursuing developmental goals such as education, health promotion, peace-building, social integration, and youth leadership and empowerment.