Galz & Goals Project

Designed for girls aged 9-15, Galz & Goals (G&G) encourages them to live a healthy life through participating in football ("soccer") leagues and festivals. On joining the league through school or community teams, girls become Galz & Goals members and receive a G&G Passport containing an oath and tips on living a healthy life, encouraging dreams and aspirations. They also receive a booklet introducing football and healthy living through tips and interactive games using female Namibian and international role models.

Structured leagues are created in each region by teachers, parents, girls, coaches, and volunteers from the community. They receive training on life skills topics through workshops in which they also become Namibian Football Association (NFA)-certified coaches. SCORE facilitators integrate a curriculum of self-confidence, peer leadership, role modeling, fair play, and gender awareness with training on the delivery of Kicking AIDS Out activities (games designed to educate girls on HIV and life skills through movement games) for use in training sessions and festivals.

Periodic festivals create a platform for establishing teams, sparking interest in women's football, giving opportunities for girls to participate in sports, and educating community members of the importance of empowering young girls. According to Galz & Goals, in the first three years of the programme, the festivals have attracted around 2,500 girls, and more than 1,800 girls participate in regular trainings and league games.

For more information, visit the 'NFA Galz and Goals' Facebook page.

Sport, Girls’ Empowerment, Health

The Inside World Football magazine credited the Galz & Goals initiative with helping to create one of the most vibrant national programmes in Africa for young female footballers. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) nominated the NFA under-15 girls team to represent Africa at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games.