Goal Programme - Ethiopian Football Federation - 2001

Although football is played and loved throughout the nation,athletics is Ethiopia's number one sport, not least as a result of the numerous medals gained in the sport at various World Championships and Olympic Games. The Ethiopia Football Federation can look back on a glorious past: In 1962, the national team won the 3rd African Cup of Nations on home soil and in 1987 and 2001, the Ethiopians triumphed in the CECAFA Championship. In 2001, the U-20 side qualified for the FIFA World Youth Championship (in Argentina) for the first time. Ethiopia has also hosted the African Cup of Nations on three occasions (1962, 1968 and 1976). Ethiopia has produced a rich crop of famous players that has recently included Bayu Mulu and Yourdanose Abay.

At its meeting on 29 October 2001, the Goal Bureau approved a project to build a technical centre in Ambo, in the Oromo province. The costs are being covered by Goal and the Ethiopian Government, which has also donated the land for the initiative. The association has drafted a long-term youth development plan for male and female players, which will be ready for implementation when the centre opens. The new complex will also accommodate national teams at various levels, as well as participants on various courses. Prior to the completion of the technical centre in Ambo, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter was invited to lay the foundation stone for the association's new headquarters. This project, which will help to centralise the coordination of Ethiopian football, will be built in the vicinity of the national stadium in Addis Abeba. The FIFA Financial Assistance Programme will cover the entire cost of the project (USD 399,000), while the project will be under the supervision of FIFA in much the same way as a Goal project