The following is an edited and abridged version of the latest Peace Club newsletter published by Unificationist Robin Graham, offering a preliminary report about the “Champions in Life” peace and sportsmanship workshop held for women soccer coaches in Amman, Jordan in advance of the FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup, taking place there in September and October 2016.

Peace Club held an amazing workshop in Jordan at the end of August. The reports about the workshop, with the comments and experiences of the coaches who attended, will be shared over the next two weeks.

The Peace Club workshop for women coaches was held in advance of the FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup in Jordan to highlight the importance of the growing role of women in sports, and football in particular. Women coaches are now involved at every level of sports in Jordan. From coaching at a national team level to amateur level teams, to school sports programs and after-school community activities. Many also work in the refugee camps throughout Jordan. Their role and significance as leaders in their communities is growing.

Fourteen women coaches came out for the three-day Champions in Life training workshop, which took place in Amman at the Queen Rania Center, August 27-29.

This is an amazing time for Jordan. The FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup began on September 30 and will continue until October 21. Already the tournament is off to an exciting start with strong showings by Japan, Spain, Canada, Germany, and Mexico.

The 32 matches over the course of 22 days will be hosted in four stadiums: the Amman International Stadium, the King Abdullah II Stadium in Qweismeh, the Al Hassan Stadium in Irbid, and the Prince Mohammad Stadium in Zarqa.

Hosting a Women’s FIFA World Cup event, the first in the Middle East, is felt as a huge success for the Kingdom and women’s sports in the region. This competition is a great source of pride for Jordan’s football fans and citizens in general.

Read The Jordan Times article “Changing Jordan sport forever” to get a better understanding of what hosting the World Cup in Jordan means for the kingdom and for the region.

The impact of the first FIFA World Cup to be held in the Middle East is being felt.

Two hundred and fifty girls from Al Zaatari, a Syrian refugee camp located about 70 kilometers north of Amman, near the town of Mafraq and approximately 30 kilometers from the Syrian border, were given tickets to attend one of the recent World Cup matches. 

The August Champions in Life training was meant to be the last in 2016. However, as a result of the successful workshops held throughout Jordan, Peace Club has been invited to present the Champions in Life training in three workshops to over 60 coaches in the West Bank.

Details of these workshops are forthcoming, but please know that, if you have been considering making a donation, your support is crucial. Be a Peace Club Ambassador, and send a gift, large or small. That gift will help provide a life-changing experience through the Champions in Life training program. The coaches who attend the program will leave with the tools and the skills to pass on positive values to the youth they coach and the communities they serve. Thank you.