Football Federation SA (FFSA) was presented on Tuesday with the prestigious Governor’s Multicultural Award for 2014 as Winner for ‘Community Sector Organisation’. 

Presented by His Excellency the Governor The Honourable Hieu Van Le AO at Government House Adelaide, the award recognises the dedicated work FFSA and FFSA Game Development staff do promoting football in the South Australian community. 

FFSA staff are continually focused on developing strong partnerships with Local Council and Government Agencies in the pursuit of excellence in the delivery of quality football programs to multicultural communities. 

A strong focus is placed on increasing participation within New Arrivals, Refugees and Asylum seekers through the delivery of educational and health based programs and through delivered football programs such as the Two-Halves program which continued in 2014 with great success. The program brought from English Football Club Arsenal focusses on improving numeracy and literacy of multicultural students. Based at the Adelaide Secondary School of English, the Two-Halves program has influenced an average of 26 students each term to show greater improvement in each individuals performance both on and off the field. 

Popular events and programs include the highly attended African Nations Cup tournament, the Rajah Street Reserve after-school program which assists over 30 disadvantaged children in the area and the indigenous football program that focuses on game training and life skills development with participation from the Wiltja Residence. 

FFSA Chief Executive Officer Michael Carter stated that the award is due recognition for the work of the FFSA Game Development staff and FFSA organisation as a whole. 

“Resources provided by the Office for Recreation and Sport through the SRDIP Program have been an integral reason for receiving the Governor’s Multicultural Award. Football is the sport of choice for many new arrivals and culturally diverse communities and the development team at FFSA do a great job in providing participation and educational opportunities for individuals of all ages and abilities. ” 

FFSA staff in conjunction with The City of Port Adelaide Enfield Council will continue their multicultural work this coming Friday at the annual Harmony Day event. Harmony Day is held every year on 21 March to coincide with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and see’s junior football players engage in a day of football fun along with recognising cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home. 

For more information on FFSA Game Development Multicultural run programs click HERE or contact FFSA Multicultural Development Officer Igor Negrao > igor.negrao@ffsa.com.au