England follows Meridian vision

Major philosophy
'Using the power of football to build a better future' is a major philosophy of the England association, and it continued to adhere to this vision through a goodwill visit to South Africa this summer.

Township visits
England football ambassadors Viv Anderson and Gary Mabbutt – both former international defenders – visited Soweto and townships in Durban as a prelude to the historic friendly match between England and South Africa. They held coaching clinics, and handed out gifts and equipment in projects that focused on training coaches to work with under-privileged children.

Support for children
"It is important that children have the support, facilities and training to develop their skills in a range of sports instead of being tempted by other vices such as drugs, alcohol and crime," said the FA's international relations officer Kim Fisher. "Sport, particularly football, is an important vehicle in getting children off the streets and educating them on important life skills and issues such as HIV/AIDS, a huge threat to the youth in southern Africa. The goodwill generated by visits to these projects is also a rewarding and inspiring experience for all concerned."

Sporting and material aid
England is one of a number of European associations that is providing sporting and material aid to African counterparts under the UEFA-CAF Meridian project, a programme which was launched in 1996 with the aim of helping the development of football on the African continent. The FA is involved in partnerships with the associations of Botswana, Lesotho and Malawi.