Goal Programme - Mauritius Football Association - 2008

Football is the number one sport in Mauritius. There are 11,000 registered footballers (male and female), in a population totaling 1,200,000. Two stadiums host international matches, while a further six hold games in the domestic league championship. Approximately 450 private and public playing fields encourage football among the masses. However, the national association has yet to experience any real success on the pitch, but the football-crazy Mauritians look back fondly upon two matches in particular. During qualifying for the African Cup of Nations 2000, the national team secured a 1-1 draw at home in the King George V Stadium against South Africa, and also defeated a strong Angola team 2-0 in Luanda. Jean-Marc Ithier is one of the few players to ply his trade abroad (Santos FC Club, in Cape Town, South Africa).

A series of targeted measures will lead to the following improvements at the national technical centre and association headquarters in Port Louis: a) accommodation facilities for guests at the centre, b) supervision of players' fitness levels, c) provision of football equipment for training and preparation, d) optimisation of the working conditions of association employees and referees. The Goal Bureau approved this project on 22 October 2008.