Australian High Commission
Islamabad
Pakistan

Australia provides a Rs1.5 million grant to Pakistan Football Federation

AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSION
ISLAMABAD
 

PRESS RELEASE

28 March 2012

Australia provides a Rs1.5 million grant to Pakistan Football Federation

The Australian Government has again provided the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) a grant of approximately Rs1.5 million or A$17,000 as part of its Australian Sports Outreach Program (ASOP).

The announcement was made by Deputy High Commissioner Paul Molloy at a joint press conference with PFF General Secretary Lt. Col. (retd) Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi at Jinnah Stadium today. It is the second year in a row that Australia has provided a sports grant to the PFF.

‘The funding will go towards the PFF’s skill development projects in schools in both Karachi and Faisalabad, as well as upgrade football fields in both areas,’ Mr Molloy said.

The PFF project is the latest of several sporting projects the Australian Government has assisted over the past three years. Since 2008-09, the Australian Government has provided more than 9 million rupees (equivalent to A$110,500) thus far to various sporting bodies, including the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan Netball Federation (PNF).

PFF was funded last year with more than 1.7 million rupees (A$18,000) for similar projects in Liyari and Gilgit, which it completed successfully.

‘The projects being funded will have a strong focus on promoting youth participation in football. I am particularly pleased that one of the PFF’s projects will focus entirely on bringing young girls into football.’

‘Encouraging young people of both sexes to become involved in sport is a key aim of the Australian Sports Outreach Program. We also hope that the PFF’s initiatives will have important spill-over effects on the wider community, such as promoting health and well-being, and enhancing social cohesion,’ Mr Molloy said.

The purpose of the ASOP program is to complement larger community development schemes, especially for youth and women, worldwide through sport and physical activity. The ASOP is funded by AusAID and managed by ASC.

Please contact Mr Imran Khan, Program Officer at the High Commission (ph: 051 8355312; fax: 051 2820189; email: [email protected]), for more information on ASOP projects in Pakistan. For more information on ASOP please visit ASC website at http://www.ausport.gov.au/.