Back to Football for Hope program overview

“20 Centres for 2010” – THE OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN OF THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP™

• FIFA and streetfootballworld aim to build 20 Football for Hope Centres (five in South Africa, 15 in other African countries) as part of and through funds raised by the official campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ “20 Centres for 2010”. The project will benefit 20 socio-economically disadvantaged African communities by providing local organisations (Centre Hosts) with infrastructure to strengthen and expand their work in the area of development through football.
• The infrastructure of the 20 Football for Hope Centres will consist of a building with facilities dedicated to education and public health as well as a small-size artificial turf pitch (40x20m). The 20 centres will not only provide opportunities to play football, but will mainly serve as a place where the local community can gather and access public health and education services, thus improving basic education, preventing diseases and promoting health care as well as encouraging the social integration of minorities and disadvantaged populations. The design of the centres will use sustainable building techniques and engage the local community through the use of local materials and labour.
• Each centre will be designed in close collaboration with the Centre Host and with Football for Hope in order to ensure that the infrastructure is suitable for the needs of the community and the programmatic aims of the Football for Hope Centres. These football-based and community-relevant public health and education programmes will be delivered by the Centre Host organisation.
Read more about The Football for Hope Campaign here:
Football For Hope

ABOUT THE CENTRE HOST - Grassroots Soccer Zimbabwe

Grassroots Soccer uses the power of the world’s favourite game to educate African youth about HIV and AIDS and deliver HIV testing and other health services to underserved populations. The organization was founded in 2003 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and has since trained community leaders, educators, and professional soccer players to deliver culturally relevant HIV-prevention curricula to more than 30,000 youth in communities hit hardest by the epidemic.
Grassroots Soccer implements two HIV-prevention curricula for school-going youth aged 12-18 and hosts Voluntary Counselling and testing soccer events in disadvantaged communities to increase access to HIV health services and reduce stigma.

Grassroots Soccer’s key objectives:

1. Train community role models to facilitate GRS programs and serve as HIV-prevention resources and leaders in their communities.
2. Educate youth to create informed demand for HIV health services and empower them with the knowledge to avoid HIV infection.

Unite local stakeholders to increase access to HIV health services in disadvantaged communities in order to reduce stigma and slow the spread of HIV through testing, treatment, male circumcision, and PMTCT.

Grassroots Soccer believes that by empowering African youth with the knowledge and skills to fight the spread of HIV in their own communities, and uniting community stakeholders and healthcare providers to combat the epidemic, we can stem the tide of the HIV epidemic in Zimbabwe. The football for Hope Centre will allow GRS to further its objectives for the good of the Bulawayo community in the following ways:

1. Magnify GRS-Z’s nationwide impact by delivering the GRS Curriculum to more youth.
2. Improve accessibility to youth by providing safe space in the community.
3. Increase community involvement and GRS-Z visibility and accessibility.
4. Build youth community leadership capacity through training of coaches and new training and programming for peer educators.
5. Increase access to health services for youth and community.
6. Expand and strengthen funding and working relationships with Zimbabwean government and local and international NGOs and foundations.
7. Provide meaningful employment and volunteer work for community members through establishment of effective centre staff structure and volunteer systems.

GRS VISION
Bulawayo Football for Hope Centre envisions a generation mobilized through soccer to fight the spread of HIV and enable youth to access skills, services, and programs that help them make informed decisions and build healthy and productive communities.

GRS MISSION
Bulawayo Football for Hope Centre’s mission is to provide a safe, productive space for the delivery and dissemination of soccer-based HIV prevention education and services, and create and support of programs for healthy community development and enrichment.

PROGRAMS PLANNED BY CENTER HOST
The Bulawayo Football for Hope Centre provides an ideal venue at which to host and showcase existing Grassroots Soccer programs for education, training, and health services delivery. The Centre will ultimately allow GRS-Z to improve the quality of its HIV-prevention programming, collaborate more effectively with community stakeholders and health services partners, and educate and mentor more Zimbabwean youth.

Education:
- Grassroots Soccer will continue to implement its HIV education curricula in schools throughout the city of Bulawayo. In addition, the centre offers a flagship site for programming for out-of-school youth, as well as a safe, centralized space in which to pilot new programs such as the girls’-only SKILLZ Street HIV-prevention program.

Leadership:
- The large functional space at the centre will be ideal for hosting TOT (Training of Trainers) courses to train new Grassroots Soccer facilitators, as well as refresher courses to help current coaches stay sharp.
- The centre will provide a space for the development and implementation of new training and programming for GRS peer educators.
- The centre will provide a space for the development and implementation of a program for leadership mentoring for future leaders of Zimbabwe.

Health:
- The central location within the township of Luveve will allow Grassroots Soccer attract large crowds for VCT tournaments at the Centre. The new facility will provide invaluable exposure for the organization and its HIV prevention message, increasing access to health services and popularizing the concept of VCT tournaments in Zimbabwe.
- The centre will provide a “home” for GRS, as most of the sites where GRS operates are managed by a partner such as the government or local authority. This will allow GRs to schedule programming when it is most convenient at a consistent location.
- The centre will enable GRS to explore new ways of delivering programmes as this will be the first time that GRS has control of access to programming space.

Programs:
- The Bulawayo Football for Hope Centre will serve as Grassroots Soccer’s programming hub in Zimbabwe. The Centre will host programming for out-of-school youth and training courses for in-school program coaches.
- The Bulawayo Football for Hope Centre will be host to a variety of complementary community programs to fully utilize the site.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The site is situated in Luveve suburb located in the North western part of Zimbabwe’s second largest city- Bulawayo. Bulawayo city Council donated the land to build the Bulawayo Football for Hope Centre for FIFA ’20 centres for 2010’ campaign. Luveve, previously Chief Luveve’s native Village, is one of Bulawayo’s oldest suburbs.

The new Bulawayo Football for Hope Centre design has been driven by two major factors; to address GRS expansion plans to accommodate their curriculum and centralize their activities. To maximise on views of the FFH pitch as well as future activities on the site, an L shaped building has been selected. The L-shaped building has a small arrival courtyard, welcoming visitors and creating a shaded social outdoor area. All rooms are accessible directly off the courtyard via an external circulation area and benching has been proposed in this area to activate the space.

Due to the constraints on the site, mainly the high pressure water pipe leaking in to areas on the site, and the presence of a bottle store close to the land donated, the centre host preferred the current location of the building. This location also allows easy access to the FFH centre as it is located along Gwabalanda road which is a busy road for both pedestrians and public transport.

The proposed pitch location is driven by a desire to maximize on views into the site. One of GRS’s main goals is to attract community members to the centre this is done by giving the pitch a visual connection to Gwabalanda road. Currently there are no trees close to the site area. In-kind donations will be sought to fund the planting of trees outside of this budget. To avoid clashes with the current leaking pipe and maintain a strong street visual impact the pitch is orientated on an east/west direction.

The internal programmatic requirements had a strong emphasis on providing adequate space to run the core curriculum activities in doors to avoid disruptions during the rainy season. This has been addressed by incorporating a large multipurpose room with a large store room for furniture and equipment needed for day to day activities and larger community events. The sanitary facilities are located at the centre of the building making them easily accessible for all users. The administration area is located at the site entrance.

The re-purposed vertical shipping container is to be used for football equipment storage and is located near the pitch. This will be graphically treated and will act as 'the unifying element' that graphically connects all Football for Hope Centres. The horizontal container next to the multi-purpose room will be used for the youth friendly corner and food preparation area during tournaments.

Supply of a borehole for the site is a crucial element in the implementation of the FFH centre. Currently the municipality water cannot be used for construction purposes and Bulawayo is in a low rainfall area with frequent water shortages. A borehole, tank, piping, solar panels and controls are needed on site. This will be dependent on cost, geo tech survey in the design development phase.

SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT/AFH PROJECT GOALS

The building orientation and roof overhang are designed to minimize overheating during summer months, while maximizing solar gain during the cooler winter months. Typically the multi-purpose block facing the court yard receives morning sunshine. This is ideal due as mornings in Zimbabwe are generally much cooler. The admin building block side facing the courtyard receives afternoon sunshine which can result in overheating. The provision of an outdoor shaded area here as well as a recessed façade promotes cooler temperatures in this area.

Water conservation, rainwater harvesting and adequate sustainable urban drainage systems to combat large-scale soil erosion in the area as well as effectively drain excess water from leaking high pressure pipe away from the pitch and FFH centre are vital elements in the successful implementation of the new FFH centre. In addition, a new bylaw prohibits usage of municipal water during construction. We have proposed a borehole and water storage tank to supply adequate water supply to the centre in this predominantly dry region. Although the area receives 590 mm of water annually, most of the rain falls between November and February. Most of this water drains back to the Indian Ocean leaving the area prone to water shortages in the following months. Research on the possibilities of rain water harvesting in this area will be conducted during the Design Development phase to address this issue. In addition gravel, paved and planted areas are proposed around the site to minimize surface run off and soil erosion.

The project includes a base donation of solar power products and installation as a turnkey sub-contract with Yingli Solar, with Phaesun as the implementing agent. Provisions for solar lights around the pitch have been included in the project base brief. In addition, the centre host requires a solar water heater for shower and change areas and solar panels to power the borehole pump (as budget allows)

The use of re-purposed materials and recycled materials whenever available and economically viable and use of Traditional ‘building techniques as appropriate and with warranty’ is proposed Patterned stone decorative panels on paved areas, incorporating traditional Ndebele wall patterned styles on the exterior façade and using traditional Shona brick coursing styles for air-brick clad areas are all ways to infuse cultural elements in this building. Wherever possible, naturally renewable materials with low embodied energy such as wattle along the outdoor shaded area are used. The choice of material will be cost dependent and will be decided in the next design stage.

Pedestrians and vehicles all access the site from Gwabalanda road as indicated on the site plan. To comply with building regulations, the building is setback at 9m. Provision for 10 car park spaces has been provided located next to the covered pedestrian entrance walkway. Vehicular access at the back of the ablutions and multipurpose block allows for vehicular access to designated tent areas during event days. The building is accessed from the court yard area acting as the main circulation area for the building. This together with ramped access at the entrance pathway of the building allows all building users to safely enter or exit the building.

The positioning of the windows on the building plays a crucial role in providing natural surveillance around the site, especially where the admin office is located where staff can see what is happening on the pitch, building entrance and site entrance. To access the building visitors have to pass this area through the covered entrance way which allows building users in the admin block and the multipurpose room to view who is entering the building. In addition metal security gates for the ablutions and admin block have been proposed. Using smaller and higher window openings where possible reduces the risk of intruders entering the building and lessens the cost of providing burglar bars to windows.

KEY DEVELOPMENT POINTS

- The Centre will support the expansion and strengthening of our relationships with community stakeholders and health services partners by providing space for HIV testing and delivery of HIV health services. Grassroots Soccer’s partners will have access to testing and counselling space to provide HIV and child abuse support programs, among other activities.

- GRS-Z also aims to use the centre to further develop strategic partnerships with governmental and non-governmental organizations that may also utilize the space at the centre or fund GRS programming for the benefit of Zimbabwean youth

As part of the future master plan GRS would like to include the following facilities on site:

- Full sized football pitches
- Overnight sleeping facilities
- Separate ablution block for larger events
- Shaded seating area close to football pitches

We have also proposed:

- A 7-A-Side football pitch to accommodate smaller group programs
- Screening around the site perimeter especially the areas close to the existing bottle-store, proposed car park and proposed petrol filling station.
- Pedestrian access through the site to increase community engagement and to comply with the required 6m easement on either side of the existing high pressure water pipe.

Location