PRESS RELEASES

Department of State Conducts Soccer Clinics for 4,000 Youths in Bahrain, Uganda, Nigeria and South Africa

September 25 , 2006

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes will follow up on her World Cup Sports Initiative by sponsoring soccer clinics for youth in South Africa, Bahrain, Uganda and Nigeria, September 13 – October 13, 2006.

Eight U.S. Soccer National Team players and coaches will conduct the soccer clinics, visit local schools and speak to an estimated 4,000 youths in South Africa, Bahrain, Uganda and Nigeria.  Their emphasis will be on teamwork, respect, leadership and conflict resolution, and how these athletic qualities can translate into life skills and academic achievement.  The players and coaches were selected by U.S. Soccer and will serve as Sports Envoys for the U.S. Department of State.  The players include Women’s World Cup champions and Olympic gold medalists Cindy Parlow, Shannon MacMillan and Tiffany Roberts, and three-time World Cup veteran and National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Marcelo Balboa.  The coaches are Glenn Myernick, Curt Onalfo and Phil Wheddon of the U.S. Men’s National Team’s World Cup Team coaching staff, along with Lauren Gregg, the first woman to serve as an assistant coach for any of U.S. Soccer's national teams.   

Dates                      Country                   Participants
September 13-20    South Africa         Glenn Myernick and Shannon MacMillan
September 18-23    Bahrain                Phil Wheddon and Cindy Parlow
October 8-14          Nigeria                Marcelo Balboa and Lauren Gregg
October 8-13          Uganda               Curt Onalfo and Tiffany Roberts

Setting the stage for these soccer clinics, in July of this year thirteen girls and seventeen boys, ages 13-18, from Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bahrain, Lebanon, Morocco, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Bolivia participated in the World Cup Sports Initiative.  The Initiative, a partnership between the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Soccer Federation, highlighted the theme of the 2006 World Cup, “a time to make friends” with an emphasis on building international understanding and respect between young people around the world. The young soccer players took part in athletic, educational and community events in Washington D.C. and New York City that showed how engaging youth through sport can spark a meaningful and lasting cross-border dialogue. The finale of their program was a trip to Germany, led by Under Secretary Hughes, to watch a World Cup match.

Please direct media inquiries about this or other programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (http://exchanges.state.gov/) to Nicole Deaner, 202-203-7613, or Catherine Stearns, 202-203-5107.

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