New National Futsal Competition Launched by Ferrero and the Football League Trust
Exciting national schools Futsal competition launches this month
The Kinder + Sport Futsal Cup, part of Ferrero’s global Kinder + Sport project, is a new schools competition for Under 16 Boys and Girls run by the Football League Trust. Local competitions, organised by Football League Clubs throughout England and Wales, will kick off this month seeing thousands of Year 10 and 11 students battle it out to represent their local club at area and then regional finals.
The aim of Ferrero’s global Kinder + Sport project is to increase levels of physical activity among young generations around the world. The Kinder + Sport Futsal Cup builds on the success of last year’s Kinder + Sport Kids Cup for under 11s and Kinder + Sport Girls Cup for under 13s, also delivered by Ferrero and the Football League Trust.
Mike Evans, Director of Operations with the Football League Trust comments: “Last year, by working with Ferrero, we increased participation in the Football League’s Kids and Girls Cup by over 20% with over 20,000 children taking part. This year the aim is to use the same model and momentum to deliver the Kinder + Sport Futsal Cup and increase sports participation among 15-16 year olds, which is an age where we often see participation levels dropping off.”
A Ferrero spokesperson said: “At Ferrero, we believe that active children are more likely to grow into active adults, and so we are passionate about inspiring future generations to embrace physical exercise, and gain a sense of joy from living an active life. The success of last year’s Kinder + Sport Kids Cup and Kinder + Sport Girls Cup has inspired us to extend our programme to a much wider age group. By targeting 15-16 year olds, we want to encourage adolescents to utilise what they have learnt in order to lead a more active lifestyle right the way through to adulthood. The programme will reach approximately 15,000 young people.”
Futsal, the world’s fastest growing indoor sport, showcases close ball skills, increased touches, quick decision making, creativity and tactical nous. Some of the world’s leading football stars, such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, honed their ball skills with futsal. The free flowing game has witnessed significant growth throughout England and Wales over recent years, as a sport in its own right, and as a fundamental part of football development.
Kinder + Sport and the Football League Trust have been key players in the world of futsal over recent years, creating memories of a lifetime for young people. Kinder + Sport sponsored the 2014 ISF Futsal World Championships in Sardinia, and The Football League Trust spearheaded Sky Sports’ Soccer AM Futsal Cup over the last two seasons.
The partnership between Ferrero and the Football League Trust has also seen football clubs throughout the UK delivering the + Sport Move and Learn Project. The programme is designed to get children active, promote nutritional education and build awareness of the importance of a balanced diet and active lifestyle. Clubs have been teaming up with primary schools in their area to deliver the project to 9-10 year olds, with each session combining 45 minutes of classroom based learning and 45 minutes of physical activity over a 6 week period.
The project reached more than 21,000 children in 2014/15 and aims to reach 31,600 children across the UK and Ireland this year. To support the programme, club players act as ambassadors and participating schools have the chance to meet players and be involved in match day activities such as half time penalty shoot outs.
About Kinder + Sport
Kinder + Sport is a responsible global project developed by Ferrero Group aimed at supporting physical activity among young generations.
As one of the Company’s core CSR pillars, the programme is designed to promote active lifestyles by encouraging dynamic play and sports among children and their families and stimulating them to make physical activity a regular part of their lives.
ABOUT FERRERO
Present in the UK since 1966, Ferrero is a leading family-owned global company. Ferrero’s brand portfolio includes: nutella; 400g is the UK’s No.1 selling spread SKU[1]; Ferrero Rocher, the UK’s no.2 classic boxed chocolate brand[2]; tic tac, the no.5 pocket confectionery brand [3]; Kinder Surprise, the no.3 kids confectionery[4] brand; and Kinder Bueno, a top 10 countline brand[5]. These unique and iconic brands are well-loved throughout the UK, and the success of these brands is based on quality products which are carefully crafted and supported with heavyweight investment, that not only deliver great tastes for customers, but also deliver great profits for retailers.
Ferrero UK is a dynamic, progressive company, fusing modern, innovative approaches with its rich confectionery heritage. Its leading position in confectionery markets in mainland Europe underpins the commitment to succeed in the competitive UK market.
