Just Play ready to roll

A facilitator’s course will take place next week on March 7 and 8 before the programme is launched in schools on March 16.
Cook Islands Football Association (CIFA) Just Play project manager Michelle Paiti and instructor Jimmy Katoa will conduct the course and will be assisted by OFC Just Play technical coordinator Emmie Sope.
The response to Just Play has been very positive with 12 schools and three community groups on Rarotonga preparing to take part in the pilot phase, and 25 teachers and group leaders registered to attend the course next week.
All equipment and resources for the programme are scheduled to arrive within the next week and will be distributed to all participating schools following the official Just Play launch.
The pilot phase will run for six weeks, during which the CIFA Just Play team will visit the schools to offer support and assistance to the instructors. Fun football festivals will be organised for the children towards the end of the phase.
Paiti and Katoa will also monitor the progress of the programme during the pilot phase so that recommendations and adaptions can be made to help assist with the implementation of phase two and ensure that Just Play has a sustainable future in the Cook Islands.
Just Play is a unique FIFA-approved grassroots programme which promotes physical activity for primary-aged children while encouraging community involvement and healthy living.
Developed by the OFC social responsibility and technical departments, Just Play was launched in Vanuatu last April and has since been introduced in Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, Solomon Islands and South Auckland in New Zealand.

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