FIFA President Gianni Infantino has helped hand out football boots to youngsters at the launch of the FIFA Boots for All initiative that will provide free pairs of boots to disadvantaged children around the world.

To kickstart the campaign, FIFA has purchased 20,000 pairs of FIFA-branded football boots in nine different sizes that can be used in training, competition and leisure settings. During the project’s initial phase, they will be distributed to young girls and boys who normally could not afford a pair.

“The FIFA Boots For All initiative is very important for us. We are launching a pilot project today in this respect. Why? Because, of course, football boots are still the most expensive part of the equipment (needed to play football), and many children in many parts of the world cannot afford to buy boots,” said President Infantino, who was joined by FIFA Legends to distribute the boots to children from the Paris suburbs during the launch event in the French capital.

“So we thought, at FIFA, that our mission should also be to give the opportunity to these children to play football, not only on beautiful pitches, but also wearing beautiful boots.”

Speaking at the opening of a temporary FIFA Arena mini-pitch on the Place de la Concorde in central Paris where the FIFA Boots for All launch took place, Mr Infantino detailed how and where it would have an impact.

“We start now with a pilot phase, 20,000 boots in 10 to 15 countries. If the results are good, as we believe they will be, because the quality of these boots is very good, then, we'll produce many, many more,” he explained, noting that “eventually, hundreds of thousands of boots will be going around the world and children can benefit from them”.

He added: “We produce them, we ship them, we send them to our FIFA Member Associations all over the world. The focus will be Africa, Asia, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Oceania - those  countries with most needs will be the first ones to be served. And our FIFA Member Associations, all over the world, will then decide where, which schools, and which children can benefit from these boots, which will be for free.”

Children in Mexico are the next scheduled to receive boots later this month.

“I remember it like it was yesterday because I was very, very young. You know, we don't have very quick access to lots of things in Africa. So, I was 14 years old, and I had often wanted to play with boots but it was very difficult, so I went to see my mother who lent me some money so I could buy a pair of boots at the market,” said FIFA Legend Emmanuel Adebayor when asked about getting his first pair of boots as a wannabe footballer growing up in Togo.

“Today I can see everything FIFA has put in place for those young children. It's absolutely huge, it's incredible and fabulous. Giving to those young children who can't afford it, whose parents can't afford to buy them a pair of boots. FIFA is here to help them, which I think is absolutely incredible. Congratulations to FIFA for this.”

Argentina international Javier Pastore, who played in the FIFA Legends match that preceded the campaign launch, said: “I think it's going to have an enormous impact because there are children out there who don't have this ambition or dream (to be a footballer), because they don't have the resources, and to help them get those resources – a pair of football boots, which will motivate them each morning to put them on and to go out and play with their friends and to share, it's something really unique. For me, this initiative is super important, and it's going to do a lot of good not only for football, for sport, but in the lives of each child that is able to receive a gift like this.”