Myanmar Football for Peace Festival

Football United has been running Football for Good programs in Australia since 2006 and Football for Social Cohesion and Peace programs in Myanmar since 2013,. Our programs have reached thousands of children and youth in more than 300 communities, with our award-winning grassroots football for good activities. The program works in collaboration with local universities and the Myanmar National Red Cross. 

Current and recent events since the military-led coup on 1 February 2021 are devastating Myanmar. Last weekend, on 3 April, Football United Australia joined the Burmese Community Development Collaboration (BCDC) and other local stakeholders to hold a Football for Peace Festival in Sydney to show solidarity with the people in Myanmar and raise funds for humanitarian assistance such as food, shelter and medical assistance for people affected by the current crisis in Myanmar.

The Myanmar Football for Peace Festival was run as a fun-filled 6-a-side soccer festival. Sixteen teams from all communities and all ages groups joined with family and community members and all enjoyed themselves. We had about 200 players, 35 volunteers and about 150 community members join in as spectators.

The Festival featured fair play football, raised a modest sum of money, and succeeded in gaining national television coverage to raise needed attention to the crisis. The event was covered on national news that evening (SBS World News) as well as social media through our platforms and those of our partners.

Football United regularly runs such festivals in honour of special international days, such as International Women’s Day, International Day of Peace, Refugee Week or the International Day of Human Rights. Through these events, we hope to raise awareness on issues and challenges that the world is facing.

This is the first time we have run an event to raise awareness for our own people and programs as well as raise funds to help support the people in Myanmar through the Burmese Community Development Collaboration.