Footballers like Oumar Niasse have demonstrated that football can be a powerful platform for social change. On Thursday 3 April, he joined forces with the President of the Maldives, His Excellency Mohamed Muizzu, and High Commissioner Dr. Iruthisham Adam. 

They visited the Football for Peace Centre at the University of Bradford, and one of the activities of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.

Football for Peace is a global sports diplomacy foundation. Its Centre at the University of Bradford, launched in 2021 with former Arsenal captain Mesut Özil and the Football Association focuses on engaging ethnically diverse communities in the sport while creating pathways for personal and professional growth. 

This focus on inclusion and creating a culture of peace and environmental concern aligns with the values of Bradford 2025, the FA and the University of Bradford.

Apart from providing football training for the young people, Football for Peace’s Centre also educates young people on key global challenges, including water stewardship. As the environment changes, water security has emerged as a critical concern, both locally and globally. By 2050, the UK’s demand for water could surpass supply, intensifying the need for conservation efforts to help contribute to local issues such as recent flooding in the Bradford district.

President of The Republic of Maldives, His Excellency, Mohamed Muizzu (pictured above) said: “Football for Peace is not just about sport, it is about creating opportunities for youth, breaking barriers, and inspiring change.”

Countries like the Maldives – a very low-lying archipelago of islands in the Indian Ocean – are threatened by over extraction of groundwater and sea water intrusion, affecting millions who depend on aquifers for clean drinking water.

This visit forms part of a broader campaign, with Football for Peace previously collaborating with the Commonwealth and the Maldives’ Ministry of Sport, Education, NCTC, and Tourism to engage youth. The minister of Tourism & Environment, Mr Thoriq Ibrahim and the Minister of Sports Mr Abdulla Rafiu are also supporting. 

The initiative has also worked with the Children’s Parliament, the London Parliament, and U.S. Congressional members, as well as the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC), to advocate for sustainable groundwater management. Notable past activations include World Water Day 2024 events in London and Washington, D.C., where symbolic ‘wall activations’ demonstrated the breaking down of barriers in global water challenges.

Looking ahead, Football for Peace aims to inspire action worldwide, engaging youth and policymakers to implement rehydration projects that restore natural water cycles, recharge aquifers, and mitigate water-related disasters such as droughts and floods.

Football for Peace co-founder, Kashif Siddiqi, said “I’m so proud that this initiative has gone strength to strength and to have a head of state visit, is testament that local projects like this can grow across the world. We are using football as our strategy for a more united and hydrated world.”

Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture Creative Director, Shanaz Gulzar said: “Bradford 2025 is about bringing people together through culture and growing a new generation of young leaders and changemakers. Through this partnership with Football for Peace, we are working to uplift our communities, inspire young people, and build a sustainable future.”

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford Professor Shirley Congdon said: “When we signed up to the Football for Peace initiative in October 2021, we did so in the hope it would help young people gain skills and confidence. We pride ourselves on our approach to inclusivity and improving people’s chances in life, so I’m thrilled to learn that the Bradford Football for Peace centre is having such a positive impact.”

Football for Peace is a global NGO inaugurated at the UN by the late Kofi Annan in 2006. Its heritage came from South American legend Elias Figueroa and co-founded by former British footballer Kashif Siddiqi in the UK who was inspired by his mother. The Mission is to advance a new era of sports diplomacy by advocating and building frameworks around issues on water, prosperity and societal change.