MOSCOW, April 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Gazprom International Children's Social Programme Football for Friendship (F4F) announced the launch of the application process for children and young people from all over the world to apply to participate in this year's programme.

National football academies are invited to put forward the names of children and young people aged 12 to 16 by 1 May 2021 by mailing to po@footballforfriendship.com to take part in the Ninth Season of F4F. F4F is looking for Young Players, Young Coaches and Young Journalists. The project will take place from 14^th to 29^th May in an online format which provides the opportunity for the kids to make new friends all over the world without leaving the house. Participation is free of charge, and there are attractive prizes for the winners.

F4F is looking for either players (male/female) aged 12 years, coaches (up to 16 years) or young journalists (12 to 14 years) from each of the 211 participating countries. It is important to have an interest in football and good English-language skills. All participants have to have access to a PC or smartphone as well.

This year, the programme will once again unite the record 211 countries providing children from all around the world with the opportunity to make friends with peers from across the globe. Young Players aged 12-14 will come together in 32 Teams of Friendship to participate in the 2021 Football for Friendship eWorld Championship. The Championship will be held in the F4F World football simulator available for free in 27 languages on MS Windows, Apple macOS, Android, iOS.

This year, for the first time national football academies whose players make it to the final will receive a financial donation to develop children's football and promote the Nine Values of the F4F programme: EUR 25,000 for the winning team, and EUR 10,000 for the runners-up. The Young Players of the winning team will be awarded game consoles, whilst the runners-up will be awarded smartphones. The three best Young Journalists will each win a laptop.

Danilo Pejovic, 13, Young Ambassador, Montenegro: "As a player in F4F in 2020, I had the opportunity to meet lots of new people, which was very motivating for me and an emotional experience. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, F4F was the best thing to happen to me in 2020."