"LALIGA Values and Opportunity" opens 20 new social sports schools in El Salvador

Yesterday, president ad honorem of El Salvador's National Sports Institute (INDES), Yamil Bukele, opened 20 new social sports schools across the Central American country as part of the LALIGA, Values and Opportunity programme, supported by INDES and FUNDACIÓN LALIGA since 2019.

The inauguration ceremony was held at the Estadio de Fútbol Playa de San Salvador, and was attended by the INDES officials, the Ministry of Education, as well as the programme supervisors who have undergone certified training, and representatives of the schools involved in the implementation of the programme.

The opening of these 20 new centres gives the programme greater coverage across the nation's education system, providing specialised education that aims to continue improving the quality of life of Salvadoran youth, as well as promoting initiatives aimed at inclusion and education in good values, using football as a development tool through FUNDACIÓN LALIGA's 'Values to Win' methodology.

Yamil Bukele, together with Álvaro Argueta, National Coordinator of the LALIGA, Values and Opportunity Programme, also officially handed over the uniforms and sports equipment to the 20 schools where the workshops will take place.  “Nearly 1,900 children will now have the opportunity to take part in this training programme, which will provide opportunities towards their personal and professional future. I'm very pleased with how it's developing, and having it extended across the country's education system with certified instructors makes it even more valuable,” said Yamil Bukele during his speech.

“Sport is a very powerful tool for building a country and achieving cohesion. Many thanks to FUNDACIÓN LALIGA for supporting us in this growth process,” added Álvaro Argueta.

Furthermore, Olga de la Fuente, Director of FUNDACIÓN LALIGA, sent a welcome message to the new participants, and declared that “it gives our organisation real satisfaction to continue spreading the values of football and the lessons they bring to more boys and girls in El Salvador. We're sure that they’ll be very useful for personal growth, and will bring many positive aspects to everyday life”.

These new schools will be developed in the following areas: Sonsonate and La Paz will have three new academies as of today; San Salvador, Chalatenango, Cabañas and Usulután will have two each, while Cuscatlán, La Libertad, San Vicente, San Miguel, Santa Ana and Morazán have one each.

A further 79 schools will be opened in the latter half of this year to meet the targets set in 2019. Currently, the programme has 183 social sports schools in operation, and has directly impacted 276,223 children since its inception. Likewise, 4,536 training courses have been organised over 4 years, training more than 900 instructors and organising 5 camps with 700 participants.

LALIGA Values and Opportunity is already a leading global sport and development programme, with a quantitative and qualitative reach that will have a direct impact on 300,000 people, achieving the highest level of efficiency in terms of both investment and implementation.