The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), which is responsible for delivering the infrastructure required to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, has announced plans to expand its flagship CSR programme, Generation Amazing, into Kuwait, Oman, India and the Philippines.

Generation Amazing’s expansion was announced at a gala event to celebrate the programme’s positive impact and forge new partnerships with the Qatar Players Association (QPA) and Streetfootballworld. Both organisations will support Generation Amazing’s expansion, joining existing programme partners — the Qatar Football Association (QFA), Your Health First – Sahtak Awalan, Maktaba, Think Beyond, Kick- 4Life, StreetLeague, Change Foundation and Lovefutbol.

Through the Football for Development initiatives that teach skills such as teamwork, leadership and communication, and through the construction of football pitches, Generation Amazing uses the power of football to instigate social change, break down social barriers, increase access to sport and enhance community integration in vulnerable communities.

 The programme has reached 33,000 beneficiaries in six countries so far and has a target of reaching 1mn people by 2022. The announcement was attended by Nasser al-Khater, assistant secretary-general for Tournament Affairs at the SC, as well as representatives from Generation Amazing’s different partners.

These included Fahad Thani al-Zaraa, QFA director of Football Development, Salman al- Ansari, QPA president, Dr Javaid Sheikh, dean of Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar, and Vladimir Borkovic, director of Streetfootballworld. During the event, the SC’s assistant secretary-general and partner representatives participated in a panel discussion highlighting the vision behind Generation Amazing, the programme’s aims and the importance of corporate social responsibility generally.




Stakeholders, partners, players, children and officials from various organisations involved with the 2022 FIFA World Cup attend the announcement ceremony in Doha on Thursday


Speaking during the panel discussion, the assistant secretary- general said: “Generation Amazing is a unique platform that utilises the power of football as a tool for social development, and forms an important element of the legacy plans we have put in place to ensure that the 2022 FIFA World Cup leaves a lasting legacy in Qatar and beyond. “To date, the programme has reached more than 33,000 beneficiaries and 35 public and private schools in Qatar, working with 132 sports coaches, 50 football youth group football coaches, 15 Qatari football players from the QNB Stars League as local ambassadors, and workers from seven construction sites across Qatar. Internationally, it has reached communities in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Nepal and Pakistan, having a significant positive impact on disenfranchised communities within these countries.

 This year, we look forward to seeing the programme continue delivering on its promises and expanding its geographical reach to benefit new communities in new countries.” Al-Zaraa said, “We are proud of our partnership with Generation Amazing. This programme is unique and aims to make the legacy of the 2022 FIFA World Cup more sustainable.

We at the QFA believe in the importance of football for all people, regardless of their age, and our partnership in this programme will increase both people’s awareness of and interest in local football clubs.” Al-Ansari said: “We are proud of our partnership with General Amazing, which we believe is one of the most important legacy programmes the SC has. We believe that this programme will not only have an impact on the lives of the less fortunate, but also on the players who have been fortunate enough to be selected as ambassadors for this programme.”

Dr Sheikh said this is a “very valuable partnership that could become a role model for the region. With this strategic partnership, Your Health First and Generation Amazing will work together to contribute to building a healthy society and achieving the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030”. Borkovic added that the leadup to the FIFA World Cup in 2022 offers a unique opportunity to maximise football’s potential to catalyse social change and further cultivate perceptions of the beautiful game as a force for good. “With our international network of organisations that use football to change lives each and every day, we look forward to expanding upon the groundwork already laid by Generation Amazing to impact targeted communities around the world,” he said.

 Through its strategic partnership with the QFA, which provides 50 coaches and access to youth groups across Qatari clubs, the programme works with children aged 6-12 years across 35 public and private schools in Qatar, and will expand to include students aged 12-18 years. The partnership will also see 10 coaches join the Master Coach programme within Generation Amazing, where they will receive advanced training on how to utilise football as a tool for social development in Qatar and beyond. Generation Amazing’s new strategic partnership with the Qatar Players Association also sees 15 current Qatari football stars in the QNB Stars League become programme ambassadors.

These include Khalfan Ibrahim Khalfan, Fuhaid al-Shammari, Saud al-Hajiri, Hassan al-Haydos, Soud al-Hajri, Soud al- Khater, Abdulaziz Hatem, Saad al-Dosari, Meshal Mubarak, Hilal Mohamed, Khalid Muftah, Belal Mohamed and Khokhi Bu Alam. Numerous former players are also participating, including Younes Ali, Hussain al-Rumaihi, Said al-Basheer, Wesam Rezeq, Ibrahim al-Ghanim, and Adel Lafi. Players in the new target countries of Kuwait and Oman will also become ambassadors, working with the programme to raise awareness of the importance of healthy lifestyles and physical activity among children and migrant worker communities.

Generation Amazing will also continue its social partnership with Sahtak Awalan – Your Health First, working together to set up the theory behind practical delivery, provide access to schools across Qatar and construct 20 green houses across 20 schools in Qatar. Additionally, the two parties will work together to set up schools’ cafeterias that provide students with healthy food. Globally, Generation Amazing inked a new partnership with Streetworldfootball to construct and renovate community football pitches in various vulnerable communities across the world.

By doing so, these community spaces offer disenfranchised communities a platform for positive development, emphasising the power of football and utilising it as a tool for social development. Finally, Generation Amazing and Maktaba’s partnership has seen six books published so far, all in collaboration with Qatari and non-Qatari authors and artists, to highlight Generation Amazing’s activities.

This year another six books are due to be published, while Think Beyond, Kick4Life, StreetLeague, Change Foundation, and Lovefutbol all contributed to the Generation Amazing curriculum. Footballing legend and Generation Amazing ambassador Xavi Hernandez was also presented with an award for his role in the programme’s success at Thursday’s event, which formed the latest step in Generation Amazing’s efforts to enhance collaboration with local and international partners that support its objective of leaving a lasting social legacy long after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has concluded.

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