Youth FA launches festival season

The Youth Football Association (YFA) launched the Gatorade Fun Football Festival season 2006/07 this week at a meeting attended by youth nurseries at the Farsons Brewery.

The games for U-10 and U-12 teams will be held between November and May with 44 out of the 45 affiliated nurseries taking part.

The U-10 matches will kick off on Saturday while the U-12 matches get underway on December 2. Games will be played at the Centenary Stadium.

"Players of this age look forward to these Fun Festivals with great enthusiasm. This encourages our association to continue working hard to organise these events," Alfred Cacciatolo, chairman of the organising committee for the Gatorade Fun Football Festival, said.

Fr Hilary Tagliaferro, president of the YFA, stressed the importance of putting less emphasis on competition and pressure on winning.

"One has to look at the Gatorade Fun Football Festivals as a preparation of the physical, social and educational upbringing of the future of our youths," Fr Tagliaferro said.

"It is also important for parents and coaches to understand that the focus has to be on fair play so that while developing children's football skills, we are also building their characters."

Joe Micallef, general secretary of the YFA, expressed his gratitude to Farsons which, for the last nine years, has supported the association, first with Pepsi, and now with Gatorade as the main sponsor of these events.

"This is the perfect opportunity for a brand that is associated worldwide with all types of sports especially football, to reach a young target market," Ivan Filletti, marketing manager at Simonds Farsons Cisk, said.

"During these Football Festivals, children will also be developing social skills and enjoy themselves playing the game they love."