In the midst of the World Cup, Grupo Bimbo is launching the 2018 edition of Futbolito Bimbo, one of the company’s most important Social Responsibility initiatives. Since its inception more than 50 years ago, Futbolito Bimbo's main objective has been to contribute to the integral development of childhood in one of the most important stages of its formation.

For the 2018 edition of this tournament, which will begin on April 14 and conclude on July 21, it is expected that approximately 70,000 children will participate, each coming from public and private schools in 45 cities of the country’s 32 states.

“Futbolito Bimbo is one of our most relevant programs and has the greatest impact among children and families in general. It is a unique opportunity in which, through sports, we are promoting the experience of values such as teamwork, respect, tolerance, and camaraderie among thousands of girls and boys,” commented Raúl Argüelles, Chief HR & Corporate Affairs Officer at Grupo Bimbo, during the presentation of the tournament.

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One aspect that highlights Futbolito Bimbo is the use of Tarjetón Verde, reforzamiento positivo® (Green cards, positive reinforcement) from Proyecto Cantera, a civil association dedicated to promoting values, life skills, and healthy behaviors through soccer to children and young people living in poverty in Mexico. This green card is an instrument used by the referees throughout the tournament to assess and promote positive behavior, both on and off the pitch, as it recognizes the good actions, not only of the participants, but also of the different members of the coaching staff and the children’s family.

It should be noted that the 2017 edition of Futbolito Bimbo saw the participation of more than 48,000 children from 2,700 schools, which translated into 135,000 hours of physical activity, more than 43,600 goals, and more than 2,240 green cards delivered by fair play.

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Great figures from national football have participated in Futbolito Bimbo during their childhood, like Carlos Hermosillo, Luis Roberto Alves Zague, Alberto García Aspe, Manolo Negrete, Omar Mendiburu, Francisco Guillermo Ochoa, César Villaluz, Jorge Espiricueta, and Daniel Hernández, among others.

Key tournament dates:

• 4 tournament stages

  • 1st State Stage April 14 to May 27

  • 2nd Regional Stage 2-3 June

  • 3rd National Stage July 16 to 21

• Camp from July 10 to 13

  • Participation of the 16 champion teams from both branches of stage 2

• National stage elimination phase July 16 to 19

• National Grand Final July 21

Prize to the National Champions in both branches:

All expenses paid trip to Philadelphia, United States, where they will play a friendly match with the country’s champion team from the Bimbo Active tournament. Later, they will visit the theme parks of Orlando, Florida for five days.

To know more about Futbolito Bimbo and learn about the steps that schools can follow if they are interested in registering, you can visit www.futbolitobimbo.com.mx

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