In cooperation with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted by Jordan in 2016, the Jordanian Football Association (JFA) launched the third Live Your Goals Festival on Wednesday 30 September at Irbid Municipality field.

The festival saw an influx of 144 students between the ages of 6 and 14 from several schools in Irbid, who were supervised by 24 trainers from grassroots centres across the kingdom and a group of physical education teachers from the governorate’s various schools.

Throughout the festival, the schoolgirls were given the opportunity to indulge their athletic sides by participating in a variety of sporting activities as well as in theoretical and practical training courses on football. The festival also looked to expand the skills of the school instructors too, with teachers receiving training on the appropriate exercises to implement during gym classes to effectively develop students’ abilities.

Commenting on the festival’s launch, LOC CEO Samar Nassar said: “Through our cooperation with the JFA, we aim to bolster the association’s efforts at increasing the popularity of this sport among schoolgirls in every governorate in the kingdom, as they are the core at the foundation of Jordan’s women’s teams.”

She added: “This festival is an expression of one of LOC’s most important objectives – developing an enduring legacy for the empowerment of women and the growth of the game in Jordan. We hope the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, to be held in Jordan next year, will revive women’s football in the country, upgrading and developing the sport to meet international standards.”