UNICEF sponsored a weeklong under-14 girls and boys football tournament concluded at Cantonment Board Ground here on Wednesday. In final fixture Lady Anderson Girls school team thrashed Talim-ul-Amal Centre Alla Abad team by 1-0 in a thrilling finish. The Lady Anderson school team played with a team spirit and managed its grip on the match as a result of which team managed to score a goal in the first half of the match.
In boys final Talim-ul-Amal Centre Gohdpur defeated Sohdra by 1-0. It may be added that Child and Social Development Organisation (CSDO) under Child & Adolescents Protection Project (CAPP) sponsored by UNICEF aimed at promoting the game of football among the boys and girls evenly.
Child and Social Development Organisation (CSDO) was making adequate efforts for providing the opportunities of education and game of football among the children of formal and non-formal schools. As many as 17 (seventeen) football teams of formal and non-formal school children participated in the football tournament. Mannan Rana Child Protection Specialist UNICEF Islamabad, Shagufta H. Bhatti Child Protection Specialist UNICEF Lahore, Shazia Hassan Programme Communication Officer UNICEF Lahore, Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry President the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Sheikh M. Younus Ratra President CSDO, Mir Farooq Meyer Vice President CSDO, Khawaja Zakauddin Chief Dr Khuram Anwar Khawaja, Majid Raza Bhutta General Secretary CSDO, Dr Maryium Nouman Executive Member CSDO, Dr Nouman Idris witness the final matches. Around 300 children and 100 officials of various departments/agencies attended the event to witness final matches of the tournaments.
Out-of-school/working children of the past were pleased and thankful to UNICEF and CSDO for providing them educational and the opportunity to play healthy football game. The stakeholders appreciated the CSDO Team in organising a wonderful event. The Project Manager CSDO thanked all the guests/members for their active participation in the event. Meanwhile, some girls students were of the opinion that football game should be made a permanent feature in schools for grooming the players in district level. They termed the football tournament a healthy change in the mindset of the society, which will pave the way for producing players for national football team.