COCA-COLA CUP IS A MODEL FOR BUILDING A SOCIETY WITH SPORTING HABITS

A former football champion and nowadays, a dear associate of Pivara Skopje, Ceno Aleksandrovski is the main driving force of the organization Open Fun Football Schools that makes everything to instill love in young people for the most important of the less important things in the world. Thanks to him and his close associates, every year, more than thousand children run on the football pitch proudly wearing the jersey of Coca-Cola Cup for several years consecutively.

What makes him a person that one would love to see more is his cheerful spirit, sincere love for sport and commitment to the idea to activate as many children as possible. Take your time and read what he shared with us while we enjoyed drinking Coca-Cola and coffee in the autumn sun, while sitting in the coffee bar of the sporting center ABC.

When did the cooperation among Pivara Skopje, Coca-Cola and the organization “Open Fun Football Schools” start?

The cooperation dates back to 2012 when the first Coca-Cola Cup started.  

Are young people in Macedonia active in comparison with their peers from other countries?

Unlike in 2000 when the OFFS program started in Macedonia and we were one of the few non-governmental organizations that promoted sport and sporting activities among young people, nowadays, there is an increasing number of organizations dealing with organization and promotion of sport and sporting habits, which in turn increases the number of active young people on a daily basis.

Do young people in Macedonia understand the importance of creating healthy life habits by practicing physical and sporting activities and maintaining proper balance between the input and output of energy in the body as key factor for healthy and fulfilling life?

By engaging young people in activities such as Coca-Cola Cup and other sporting activities organized by our organization, we try to include as many young people as possible in our activities, and certainly, mostly in football as the most important of the less important things in life. In this sporting-active way, we try to convey the message for burning as much as possible calories during the day.

How do parents, education authorities and municipalities perceive the Coca-Cola Cup?

Parents, education authorities and municipalities largely support the Coca-Cola Cup and this fits into our vision to include as many stakeholders as possible in the mutual cooperation, especially more representatives from the civic, social, public and private sector.

What is the key to success among Coca-Cola, Pivara Skopje, and the organization Open Fun Football Schools? What is your unique attribute and how do you differ from other sporting events of this type?

Everyone is given the possibility to participate, to feel welcomed and practice sport regardless of his/her talent and this is something unique about the participation in the Coca-Cola Cup. In fact, this is possible only with mutual support of the socially responsible companies such as Pivara Skopje and The Coca-Cola Company, municipalities, primary schools and NGOs such as our organization, as well as, the mutual cooperation and trust.

Do young people show interest and willingness for the further realization of this project? Are there more young people willing to wear the jersey?

The interest of young people to participate in the Coca-Cola Cup increases year after year, and this can be proved by the number of both, children and youngsters who participate, as well as, by the rising number of participating municipalities and primary and secondary schools from Republic of Macedonia. Media coverage is also very important for the popularization of the Coca-Cola Cup; and we think that it has already taken prominent place in the media, within the period when the events are organized.

Is there a solid base of trained coaches, instructors, assistants and sport leaders in Macedonia who would continue inspiring young people to develop healthy life habits by practicing physical and sporting activities?

We believe that this particular target group is the most important segment for conveying the message for healthy life habits. Their participation in such events is of particular importance not only for their personal development and growth, but also for the overall society and lifestyle, and the transmission of positive energy and attitude to young people. The target group that spends most of the day with young people and works on their participation and motivation is the key factor for successful realization of the Coca-Cola Cup.

How difficult is it to stimulate the sporting and competitive spirit in young people nowadays?

Young people are definitely willing to compete, and taking part in such manifestations is a major challenge for them. However, it is important that one respects and has proper attitude towards the game, the opponent and the promotion of certain life values such as team spirit, communication and cooperation. Another important thing is to ensure that it is done in an open and transparent manner, which is easily acceptable by all participants and stakeholders in the Coca-Cola Cup. Therefore, we pay special attention to this aspect.

How can one attract as many young people as possible on the sporting fields in Macedonia? Can one expect to see the successors of Darko Pancev, Goran Pandev, Agim Ibraimi soon?

The inclusion of all relevant factors in the community for promotion of sporting activities and burning calories as important segment of everyday life, and the support from socially responsible companies such as Pivara Skopje, The Coca-Cola Company and non-governmental organizations, clubs, schools etc. shall contribute to increased participation of young people in sporting activities and on the sport fields throughout the country. Hence, as organization we can stress the indispensable mutual communication and cooperation among all relevant structures in our societal life. The involvement of sport ambassadors is of major significance for the promotion of sport among young people who recognize their idols and would like to reach their fame and popularity one day.

What are the other activities that your international non-governmental organization is planning to undertake here?

Open Fun Football Schools actively work on all levels to promote sport as the culture of life and development of healthy habits in children and young people, so that they can boost their self-esteem, being an active part of the development of the whole society. We make efforts to promote cooperation and partnership of several organizations, which will serve as a possibility for increased involvement and representation of young people in our activities and conveying the message for active lifestyle. In 2016, our desire is to try and organize several sporting camps and tournaments based on the model of the Coca-Cola Cup, and definitely to include more partners and supporters so that a larger number of young people undertake an active sports lifestyle.

How does the cooperation with Pivara Skopje fit into the goals of the Open fun football schools?

The vision of Open Fun Football Schools is to bring together the public, private and NGO sector and develop the civil society and the community in the Republic of Macedonia through mutual cooperation. I believe that the cooperation among Pivara Skopje, municipalities, schools and OFFS as representatives of the NGO sector for organization of Coca-Cola Cup, will serve as a future model for society development by working together through mutual support and trust and conveying healthy life and sport habits.