Thu. October 12, 2000
Shelby Township, MI -
The World Football Foundation (WFF), a non-profit organization designed to develop soccer worldwide and to provide fans with soccer club and player information, will begin operations on Monday.
The joint US/Iceland-based World Football Foundation has been developing the organization for the past year in preparation of going online and becoming operational on Monday.
The WFF's plan of action has set two major goals to accomplish. The first goal is to provide club and player information through a comprehensive Internet database. The first phase will feature an international club directory of professional and amateur teams from around the world. The next phase to be online shortly following Phase One will be statistics from league competitions throughout the world. A player database, including statistics and information from matches played, will complete the first goal. The WFF database will be online at www.worldfootball.org.
During the development period, WFF has received information from major world soccer federations. WFF Director of Media Relations Michael Dean Raney stated, ”We have been diligent in our efforts to collect information, as we prepare to go online. The authorities have generally been very helpful in providing us information and they seem genuinely excited about the project. Among others, we have enjoyed assistance from the Football Association of Ireland, French Football Federation, Belgian FA (URBSFA/KBVB), Scottish FA, and Bermuda FA, just to name a few. We’ve even had some nice response from Welsh regional associations and the Trinidad & Tobago professional league, and we look forward to establishing further contacts with other associations, leagues, and clubs.”
The development of soccer throughout the world is the WFF’s main goal and the basis on which the organization was founded. The aim of promoting soccer as a healthy alternative to life on the street with drugs and crime will be achieved by the WFF by both establishing and assisting in programs to provide funding for youth soccer programs, to renovate stadia to international safety standards and to make proper equipment available worldwide. Raney continues, "Soccer does not provide only physical benefit, but also social benefit. The character-building process that soccer players go through makes them strong individuals and reliable teammates both on the field and off."
WFF will become a full-service organization for players, clubs and leagues with the introduction of its Club Services department. The organization, in partnership with a major manufacturer, will offer club equipment—uniforms, balls, and other items—at reduced prices for clubs with financial limitations. Club Services will also allow teams and leagues of any level to take advantage of its Internet experience by offering free web design and hosting. Through the generous volunteering of graphic artists, the department can also design new logos for clubs or leagues, as well as reworking current logos as needed.
"The WFF is not the standard soccer website; we are not just another source of information. The organization behind the website will be working to make soccer better throughout the world," stated Raney. "This will truly be an interactive venture between an organization and the fans, players, coaches, clubs, and authorities."
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