Exhibition Soccer Matches bring UN Day to a close

The United Nations (UN) Namibia celebrated the Namibian youth’s contributions towards achieving the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) with exhibition soccer matches in Windhoek.

Played between the UN Country Team (UNCT) and the Namibian Football Association (NFA) Galz and Goals, the matches concluded a week’s festivities in commemoration of UN Day.

Sport is of the great drivers of gender equality, teaching women and girls the value of teamwork, self-reliance and resilience. Given Namibia’s resounding sporting successes this year, UN Namibia joined the rest of the country to highlight the numerous ways sport the realities of girls and women.

The power of sport changed the lives of the most marginalized girls and women, as is evident  in the success of the joint sports for development partnership initiative between the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Namibian Football Association (NFA).

UN Resident Coordinator to Namibia, Sen Pang said that, “we have firmly embraced the concept of sport for development – that sport is not just an end, but also a powerful vehicle for positive social change to help improve the lives of children, families and communities.”

To get the adrenaline pumping and the competitive juices flowing the soccer event was more actions packed than ever expected – with the youth giving some of the adult players a run for their money.

The young soccer players also kept spectators entertained with a variety of training techniques that illustrate the life skills soccer teaches them, such a teamwork and discipline.

 The event focused on two soccer matches with the UNCT male and female teams playing against the 11-14-year old NFA boys and Galz for Goals players. The exhibition matches allowed all to simply let loose; dancing to the tunes of the UN75 song ‘Better Tomorrow’ as well as gleefully cheering on some of the gaffes taking place on the soccer pitch.

UN Namibia and the Ministry of Sport, Youth, and National Service created a day of pure enjoyment and fun. In the end, the UNCT male team walked away with a  1 – 0 victory against the NFA boys.  In a tight match with little scoring opportunities, the Galz and Goals defeated the UNCT female players, 1 – 0.

The UN Resident Coordinator presented the winning teams with their well-deserved trophies at the end of the matches. UN Namibia also donated two SDG branded soccer balls to the Galz and Goals.