MTG back from the Football For Hope Festival

Moving the Goalposts has participated in the Football for Hope Festival 2010 which was an official element of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM. The Football for Hope Festival has been organised by FIFA, streetfootballworld, the Organising Committee of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the City of Johannesburg. The two-week festival of education, culture and football and took place from June 28 – July 11, 2010. The MTG delegation members that travelled to Johannesburg were: Mbeyu Esse Akida, Fathime Khamisi, Rehema Ibrahim, Sarah Kitsao, Abdallah Angore, Philip Mwangi, Azidin Salim and Mohammed Hamad. Coach: Clarice Mrengi Young Leader: Lilian Mbeyu Delegation leader: Mr. Damigott John Migot. The team left Kilifi on Sunday 28th June. During the simba ropa(procession)the residents of Kilifi and Mnarani send the team off. Followed by a party at the MTG premises with parents, head teachers and officials. Sarova Whitesands offered the team accommodation before leaving Kenya. During the first week of the Festival the teams participated in workshops such as football, painting and photography. This was a good opportunity for all the participants to get to know and to learn from each other. One MTG boy and an MTG girl participated a forum in which youth discussed about issues like football for social change, peace, health and challenges for young people in general. The MTG team staged Giriama songs and dances in the cultural programme that were very well received. Thirty two teams participated in the tournament. They were divided in four groups. The matches were played at a new constructed stadium in Alexandrea, Johannesburg, with artificial grass. The teams played five versus five in mixed teams. There were no referees. Basicrules were set and the teams agreed about some additional rules in a meeting before each match. MTG played against: MTG - Team Zambia 1 - 3 MTG - Esperance  1 - 1 MTG - Team South Africa 3 - 1 MTG - Sport against racism 1 - 1 MTG - Kick4Life 1 - 1 MTG - Diambars 0 - 0 MTG - Peace team 2 - 1 After this round the team continued playing for the Alexandra Cup. MTG - Coaching for Hope 1 - 1 MTG - Streetleague 2 - 0 MTG - Streetfootball network 1 - 1 MTG lost in the quarterfinal from Esperance (5-0), the winner of the Alexandra Cup. In the first round the teams drew. The awards of the tournament were given by Sepp Blatter , FIFA President and Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa. The Football for Hope tournament was a great event for the team. The boys and girls had a chance to meet young people from all over the world and to learn from them and share experiences. On Sunday July 18 the Football for Hope delegation members will share their experiences with their team mates in Kilifi. Three boys and four girls team from Ganze, Kaloleni and Bahari will participate in a tournament that will be played according to the Football for Hope Festival principles. The delegation members will tell stories, lead the teams in the pre-match discussion and present pictures.