CBF opens Piauí state football development centre | OneFootball

CBF inaugurated the Football Development Center of the State of PiauíCredits: Samuel Pereira/CBF

CBF inaugurated the Football Development Center of the State of Piauí in Teresina on Thursday morning (6). The ceremony marking the delivery of the Northeast’s second facility brought together CBF officials and local authorities and included the participation of around one hundred children, who turned the event into a celebration with the Football Festival.

CBF president Samir Xaud attended the event and officially opened the seventh Development Center of his administration. After a long period in which the project had been stalled, the entity finally got it moving again and, since July 2025, has inaugurated DCs in Rondônia, Tocantins, Amapá, Santa Catarina, Sergipe, and Espírito Santo.

“It is an honor to deliver another Development Center, now here in Piauí, with president Robert Brown, who always fought for this to be delivered. It is a joy to inaugurate the seventh Development Center in just over one year of management. And we will continue, because we want to keep going and deliver these other seven Development Centers to help Brazilian football, the states and the federations, and continue fostering the grassroots of Brazilian football,” Xaud celebrated.

Samir Xaud, Rafael Arias, and Robert Brown unveiling the inauguration plaque of the Football Development Center of the State of PiauíCredits: Samuel Pereira/CBF

President of the Piauí Football Federation, Robert Brown described the inauguration of the Development Center as an “achievement” and said the facility will already be in use “starting tomorrow.”

“I’m extremely happy. I want to thank CBF, president Samir, and the entire CBF board for this achievement. For us, the DC will be hugely important. We will start using it tomorrow; the Federation will hold the Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, and Under-17 competitions here. Our clubs from the interior will use the DC for their training sessions,” he celebrated.

Brown explained that the Federation intends to sign agreements with public entities to encourage use of the site. The DC will host the activities of local football schools in a region far from downtown Teresina that, according to the president, lacks fields with “adequate conditions for playing football.”

“We will make an agreement with city hall and with the state government. We are 10 kilometers from the capital. There are many football schools in this region without a proper place to play football. When a center like this is built and created, football has to be fostered, and that is what we are going to do,” he stressed.

Robert Brown, president of the Piauí Football Federation, commented on the Federation’s plans for the use of the Football Development CenterCredits: Samuel Pereira/CBF

Representing FIFA, the head of FIFA’s regional office for South America, Rafael Arias, celebrated the inauguration of yet another Development Center.

“It is a pleasure to be here at this inauguration. We know the impact of this DC will be very great for the children of the region and for the development of football, but also for the social development of the region. We are very happy with the inauguration, with the quality of the facilities created by CBF and the Piauí Football Federation. They deserve congratulations, because the work done was very good, and we are especially very happy to see all these children who will be able to use the Development Center,” he said enthusiastically.

After the inauguration of the Piauí Development Center, children took part in the Football FestivalCredits: Samuel Pereira/CBF

In addition to Xaud, Arias, and Brown, the ceremony also brought together world champions Branco and Ricardo Rocha, part of the 1994 World Cup-winning squad, and Edmilson, who was part of the 2002 World Cup-winning team, as well as presidents of several federations: Rubens Angelotti (Santa Catarina and CBF vice president), José Vanildo (Rio Grande do Norte and CBF vice president), Rubens Lopes (Rio de Janeiro), Mauro Carmélio (Ceará), Ronei Freitas (Goiás), Felipe Feijó (Alagoas), and Hélio Cury Filho (Paraná).

New DC inaugurated

In addition to Piauí, the units in Pará, Rondônia, Tocantins, Amapá, Santa Catarina, Sergipe, and Espírito Santo are already in operation. Built with resources from the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 Legacy Fund, the Development Centers were conceived as spaces for sporting and social transformation.

Each DC has a synthetic turf field built to FIFA Quality standard dimensions (105x68m), team and referee locker rooms, stands, medical and administrative areas, parking, and storage.

Under the management of the local federation, the facilities are equipped to host professional and youth football championships, events for children beginning sports practice, training courses for referees, administrators, doctors, and coaches, among other possibilities.

After the inauguration of the Piauí Development Center, children took part in the Football FestivalCredits: Samuel Pereira/CBF

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.