The 5+ A Day Charitable Trust is the new partner for New Zealand Football’s nationwide school programme. Globally, football boasts more than 275 million players and is the number one team sport in New Zealand. 5+ A Day aims to help New Zealand Football continue to boost the number of Kiwi junior players.
Around 64,000 children are currently enrolled in the junior football programme, which operates in over 400 primary schools, and has more than 1,000 coaching staff and volunteers. The programme will now be called, 5+ A Day Football In Schools.
5+ A Day General Manager, Paula Dudley, said the one-year deal aligns well with 5+ A Day’s healthy eating and lifestyle messages, and also fits with initiatives in the government’s Childhood Obesity Plan. “Childhood obesity is a serious health issue that the government is addressing through a series of initiatives, which include physical activity and nutrition interventions for families,” she said.
“The new partnership will support schools in teaching healthy lifestyles in a fun and active way, and reinforce with children that fresh fruit and vegetables are excellent for fuelling participation in sports. We are looking forward to working alongside New Zealand Football to promote these messages.”
About the 5+ A Day Charitable Trust
The 5+ A Day Charitable Trust was formed in 2007 with the beneficiaries being the children of New Zealand. The Trust is committed to increasing the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables for better health in all New Zealanders. 5+ A Day focuses its work in the education setting. Curricula-linked resources promoting awareness, understanding and knowledge of the importance of eating 5+ A Day are produced and distributed free to educators.
