CAF Turns Schools Football Prize Money Into Libraries, Pitches and Community Infrastructure

The Confederation of African Football has begun handing over physical infrastructure financed through its African Schools Football Championship programme, turning competition prize money into libraries, sports facilities and other community assets.

The first completed project was officially handed over at Geda Robale Primary School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where a new library and administration building will serve a school with approximately 3,821 pupils.

From football competition to school infrastructure

CAF launched the African Schools Football Championship in 2022 with $10 million in initial funding from the Motsepe Foundation. The funding supported the competition and prize money, with awards subsequently channelled into infrastructure and development projects at participating schools.

The Addis Ababa handover is the first in a wider programme extending across several African countries. Planned projects include a school building in South Sudan, a multi-sport facility and swimming pool in South Africa, a football pitch in Egypt, a computer laboratory in Guinea, dressing rooms and a borehole in The Gambia, a synthetic pitch in Benin and an outdoor gym in Seychelles.

Measuring the legacy beyond tournaments

The programme provides a practical example of sports-development funding being converted into assets intended to remain in communities after competitions end. The $10 million figure relates to the programme’s initial funding and should not be interpreted as the cost of the Addis Ababa project.

Sources

• CAF: First African Schools Programme handover in Addis Ababa
• CAF: African Schools infrastructure handover programme