Ocean Protection and Football go together in Hann

Tidiane Ndiaye lecturing

World Ocean Day should be every day in a maritime country like Senegal. For years, the football tournaments to celebrate World Ocean Day in Hann Bel Air have been preceded by beach clean-ups.

But Babacar Ciss, member of Mundus maris and known by everybody as Gabou, who has been the soul and key organiser of the popular events, wanted to insert more environmental teaching and awareness creation into the curriculum of his football school ‘Maison Foot’ during the year.

So he invited Tidiane Ndiaye, a teacher in ordinary schools and sport schools, in October 2025 to speak about the importance of a healthy ocean environment to the class of the fifteen year olds who will likely participate in next year’s tournament.

Mr. Ndiaye started out emphasising that football players in Hann Bel Air have a special relationship with the sea and a special responsibility to contribute to a healthy ocean, especially as Hann Bay used to be the diamond in the crown of beautiful sea resorts in the country. He emphasised the importance of striving to its full recovery and that outdoor sports like football were to benefit too. That was of particular importance for young people and their healthy upbringing. They should also help to raise awareness and fights against the most visible plastic pollution and its perverse effects on marine biodiversity and public health.

Mr. Ndiaye then introduced the much hyped term ‘sustainable blue economy’. The sustainable blue economy was promoted in all media as en engine of prosperity and opportunities. A regenerated ocean, with rich marine life and providing marine renewable energy can create jobs while protecting its healthy and productive ecosystems. Among others, the development of ecotourism can then become a source of interesting jobs and economic development in tune with ocean protection.

The session was concluded with a debate to test the participants understanding of the advantages and challenges of marine protection and the role of citizen organisations, including sports schools to make sure the blue economy serves people and planet. It’s worth repeating the exercise so that the young people can start making sense of the slogans in the media and relate them concretely to their own hopes for a better future.