In conjunction with McDonald’s the Football Federation SA has hosted Primary School World Cup Gala Days at various school and club venues as part of McDonald’s continued support of grassroots football in South Australia.

 Corresponding with the FIFA World Cup currently being played in South Africa, Gala Days have seen schools compete under the banner of their favourite World Cup nations and with a focus on the cultural significance of each nation, children have created posters of their chosen country.

Participating schools have come from as far as Onkaparinga in the south to Elizabeth in North with special consideration given to making the events as inclusive as possible to all areas. In total over 25 schools and over 1000 children participated in World Cup Gala Day events expressing a passion and enthusiasm for the game that only “World Cup Fever” can provide.

The McDonald’s World Cup Gala Days involved teams taking part in round robin Small Sided Football matches with the focus on active participation, fair play and teamwork. The games themselves were played in a spirited nature with coaches being pleasantly surprised at the skills and techniques on display by the young players involved.

In addition to World Cup matches, children also took part in various skills challenges each day whereby juggling and shooting competitions saw winners provided with Socceroos beanies and scarfs kindly provided by McDonald’s.

Overall the events could best be described as an overwhelming success thanks in particular to the commitment and eagerness of the children involved. Special thanks must also go to all participating schools, FFSA coaches as well as McDonald’s for their continued support without which such initiatives would not be possible.