RFU agreed on a program for the development of preschool football until 2028

The program for the development of preschool football, designed for six years, was adopted by the executive committee of the Russian Football Union (RFU). Its main goal is to involve children in sports, the potential audience of the project is 7.4 million kindergarten students.

Among major decisions RFS within the program:

• organization of physical education classes in kindergartens;
• organizing football clubs in the afternoon;
• training of kindergarten instructors;
• support for kindergartens with football equipment.

The Union expects to provide marketing support for preschool initiatives. The Executive Committee also approved plans for the development of the Youth Football League and the reform of compensation payments due to sports schools and coaches who have trained professional football players.

One of the key elements of the comprehensive reform of the RFU of children’s football was the revision of the system for evaluating coaches, as well as the approval for them of a new procedure for monetary compensation and coaching methods. The main source of funding for the reform are payments from FIFA under the football development program – from 2018 to 2022.

Russia was supposed to receive $100 million for these purposes. According to the newspaper Vedomostias of July 2022, FIFA had to transfer half of this amount – there is no clarity regarding the second part due to the political situation.

Now football is represented in 2255 Russian educational organizations (out of 3900). More than 450,000 children go in for playing sports there.

Andrey Sapozhnikov