Soccer: Fifa donates $US300k to Christchurch

Fifa have gifted US$300,000 ($NZ383,900) to the rebuilding efforts in Christchurch which will be used to renovate, restore and construct football facilities within the earthquake-affected city.

It comes on top of the hardship fund of more than $140,000 established by Mainland Football in June with donations and grants from Mainland, New Zealand Football, Oceania Football Confederation and the Japanese Football Association.

Fifa also recently completed a Goal project to transform what was formerly English Park into a new state-of-the-art all weather turf, which officially opened last month.

ASB Football Park - now the home of Mainland Football - was made possible through the Fifa grant of $535,000 as well as a significant investment of $1.065 million from the Christchurch City Council. It is one of the first major construction projects to be completed in Christchurch since the February 22 earthquake.

The latest grant was approved by Fifa's finance committee after a proposal from OFC president David Chung in Zurich.

"On behalf of Fifa, I would like to send my best wishes to the people of Canterbury,'' Fifa president Sepp Blatter said. "We have been working closely with OFC and New Zealand Football to identify the needs of the community following these devastating earthquakes.

"I am honoured and delighted to confirm the new funding and trust that it will be used effectively to show once again how football can help bring people together thanks to the fair play and friendship that it promotes.''

Mainland Football chairman Mark Stewart said the grant will help significantly in the rebuilding of facilities that were damaged by the earthquakes in February and last September.

"Football in Canterbury was hit hard, with the damage to 40 or so grounds leading to over 1500 players missing out on football this past season,'' Stewart said.

"The opening of the Fifa Goal Project at ASB Football Park will go a long way to getting those players back into football and this latest gesture will have a huge impact at key football facilities all around the Canterbury region.''

The fund will be administered by the New Zealand Football Foundation with Mainland Football handling grant applications.