South Africa

Grassroot Soccer has been operating in South Africa since 2006, and set up its African headquarters in Cape Town in 2008.

Programs in South Africa

Grassroot Soccer is currently running programs at 10 sites throughout the country. Following the successful design and implementation of the DeBeers Pilot Project in the Northern Cape in 2006, Grassroot Soccer ushered in the New Year by launching several community-based, football for development programs across South Africa. New sites include Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Gauteng Province, Bloemfontein, the Northern Cape and Limpopo Provinces.

GRS has created a similar Direct Model program in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Port Elizabeth is an ideal location for a number of reasons. Port Elizabeth has some of the highest HIV rates in South Africa, and GRS is one of the only organizations there that is working in the HIV prevention area. It will also be one of the sites for the 2010 World Cup giving it visibility to potential funding and distributing partners. Kirk Friedrich, Managing Director, has established excellent relationships with a number partners and sponsors in Port Elizabeth that have allowed GRS’s program to take root quickly.

Grassroot Soccer and the 2010 World Cup

The FIFA World Cup 2010 offers a unique opportunity for sport-for-development organizations like Grassroot Soccer to highlight the power of soccer as an educational tool and raise the world’s awareness of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Given its proven success using football as a tool for social development, GRS has become a member of the streetfootballworld Network, and as such a strong contributor to the “Football for Hope” movement. As a key element of the strategic alliance between FIFA and the streetfootballworld Network, the Football for Hope movement incorporates a wide range of programs that use football as a tool for social and human development in the areas of peacebuilding, children’s rights and education, anti-discrimination, and the environment.

Where We Work In South Africa

Grassroot Soccer maintains direct and implementing partner programs throughout South Africa.

View Larger Map

Contact GRS South Africa

38 Hout St.
5th Floor
Cape Town, South Africa 8000
Phone: +27 21 426 5154
Fax: +27 21 426 5175
rjanks@grassrootsoccer.org