FIFA is providing financial and logistical support to its 211 Member Associations (MAs) through various programmes. We take a look at the extraordinary work that FIFA's MAs have been doing in recent weeks to promote, strengthen and make football truly global.

Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Keith Mweemba reaffirmed the association’s commitment to elevating the standards of refereeing in Zambia, with a renewed focus on grassroots training and integrity in officiating. Speaking during the closing ceremony of the FIFA Member Associations’ Elite Referees Course held at Prince Charles Hotel in Lusaka, Mweemba said that Zambia wished to create a quality pathway for younger officials, training them to the highest standard.

"My office and executive attach great importance to matters pertaining to match officiating as it borders on the integrity of the game," he said. "It is one thing to hold training for elite referees but our desire is to cascade this level of training to the provinces."

FIFA instructors visited South America for various iterations of the FIFA Referee Assistance Programme (RAP) course in mid-June. The Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) hosted 35 local female referees, receiving three days of training from FIFA instructors Sabrina Lois and Ana Leite. The objective was to update their knowledge of the rules of the game and enhance the level of female refereeing in Ecuador.

A week earlier, the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF) held a FIFA RAP course for futsal referee instructors. Thirty-one instructors from all regions of the country received training at the FVF headquarters in Caracas with the aim of deepening and updating their knowledge.

Thanks to FIFA's Football for Schools, Uganda enjoyed further coaching sessions for those schools who missed out during the last participatory event.

Activities were held in Masindi and Hoima Districts with a total of 3,195 footballs distributed to various schools while over 200 teachers took part in the programme.

Football for Schools (F4S) is an ambitious programme run by FIFA, in collaboration with UNESCO, which aims to contribute to the education, development and empowerment of millions of children globally. The programme combines football and education, encourages children to learn for life through playful football exercises, teaches life skills through football and thus contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other priority goals. The programme is also aligned with global sport, education and health strategies.

Meanwhile, a large-scale distribution of footballs took place across much of Eritrea as part of the Football for Schools programme. The dissemination of equipment follows on from FIFA instructors visiting the East African nation in April to aid the programme.

FIFA Member Associations Development Manager Abigail Lemma Hailemichael and Finance Services Manager Meryem Atouk, led a two-day FIFA Governance Workshop in Kenya with the goal of strengthening Football Kenya Federation (FKF’s) governance structures and enhancing professional management across the federation.

Officially opened by FKF President Hussein Mohammed, the session brought together FKF NEC members and key secretariat staff. The sessions were designed to equip FKF executives with the necessary knowledge and tools to align operations with global best practices in football governance. Mr Mohammed emphasised the federation's commitment to transparency, accountability and organisational growth. "We spent two days discussing how we can better govern our sport with transparency, professionalism and integrity. I thank Hailemichael and Atouk from FIFA for their support and guidance. This is part of our continuous efforts to build a football ecosystem that Kenyans can trust and believe in."

The FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) has helped the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) to launch seven Schools of Excellence under the FIFA Talent Identification Programme to discover and nurture young talent across the country.

The launch event took place at Kasungu Stadium, where boys and girls ranging from 10-15 years old had a platform to showcase their football skills with hope of being selected for further training.

FIFA Talent Identification Coach Thabo Senong, who is among the coaches overseeing the programme, believes it will help to create a conveyor belt of talent.

“The energy, discipline, and passion I saw in the young players is very promising," he said. ”I’m confident that, with proper guidance, Malawi will produce top-level talent through this system."

Uganda has also continued its work with the TDS. Following the launch of the framework, Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) trained 24 scouts from its eight administrative regions in October last year. Since then, implementation has begun in earnest, starting with the Eastern Region city of Soroti, followed by the Northern Region city of Lira, and most recently, the Eastern Region in the town of Iganga at their Ssaza Grounds.

The Kampala Regional Talent Identification trials took place at the Old Kampala Secondary School grounds this month, the fourth region that this programme has been introduced to as Uganda looks to nurture young talent across the country.

Meanwhile, the FIFA Talent Development Program (TDS) launched in El Salvador on 4 June. The programme aims to identify, develop, and enhance football talent, with a special emphasis on youth categories.

"We strongly believe in the talent that El Salvador can develop," said FIFA consultant Jorge Jiménez. The program will begin implementation in the central and eastern regions of the Central American nation and will later expand to other parts of the country.

The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) inaugurated the second phase of the Infrastructure Master Plan for the Celeste Complex, a project partially funded through FIFA Forward Programme.

The new youth module features meeting rooms, an auditorium, locker rooms, and other new spaces. "This milestone is very important for a country where it is difficult to achieve increased infrastructure and make it available to each and every youth player involved in Uruguayan football," said AUF President Ignacio Alonso.