Celebrating football is a time-honoured tradition in Ecuador. Thanks to FIFA’s support, generations to come will benefit from increased competitiveness and more opportunities to get involved in the game.

The recent construction of a new technical centre in the province of Guayas represents an additional space to the Casa de la Selección in Quito, providing greater comforts to their national teams and creating a "development hub" in the coastal region of the country.

The Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) invested 1,500,000 USD of funding from FIFA's flagship support programme in the facility, nestled near the gateway to the Pacific and the Galapagos Islands. This investment directly contributes to reaching the goals established in the FEF's strategic plan "Plan Ecuador 3A0", which aims to produce significant organizational, cultural and football changes to build a stronger foundation for the growth of the game.

In a ceremony attended by the FEF President, representatives of the FIFA Regional Development Office in Asuncion and the Daule Municipal Council members, phase 1 of the new training centre in Guayas was unveiled: two natural grass 11-a-side football pitches with regulation dimensions, two dressing rooms for players, a referee dressing room, fan tribunes, car parking and new irrigation and fence systems.

The FEF continues to use FIFA Forward funding to increase access to top-quality facilities, with the operational support of FIFA's Members Association Division and local stakeholders. According to the plans, the phase 2 of the technical centre is expected to get underway at the beginning of 2022. Additional funds from the FIFA Forward cycle 2.0 will be used for the installation of an extra 11-a-side football pitch with natural grass, a building for accommodation and services, kitchen, changing rooms, laundry, dining room, gymnasium, medical centre and other complementary works that will give final shape to a high-quality sports centre with optimal conditions, covering all the requirements that the Ecuadorian national teams need for their preparation and training camps.

What they said Francisco Egas, FEF President "The Casa de la Selección in Daule will allow us to increase the frequency of work of our national teams at all levels. It was necessary for the Ecuadorian Federation to provide a functional and comprehensive training centre on the coast of the country, expanding the geographical scope and generating a new focus for football development."

Jorge Celico, General Director of the FEF's Training Divisions "The pandemic has changed everything, and the protocols prohibit us from having two national teams in the same technical centre. The Casa de la Selección in Daule gives us alternatives for the work of our national teams and allows us to carry out work modules in parallel when the Casa de la Selección in Quito is busy. In addition, most of the youth tournaments are played in the plains, so this new technical centre will help us a lot to develop and strengthen our youth football."

Fricson George, former Ecuadorian national player and Councillor of Daule "When the Ecuadorian Federation presented us with the possibility of collaborating in this project, we were thrilled as a Council that Daule was considered to host the national teams. The new Casa de la Selección will undoubtedly benefit the development of the canton of Daule and is a source of pride for all Ecuadorians."

Gustavo Leon, resident of Daule and worker at the Casa de la Selección "I am grateful to the FEF for giving me the opportunity to work in this wonderful complex, as a Dauleño it is a privilege to be part of the maintenance team of the Casa de la Selección."

Thanks to the FIFA Forward Programme, more than 23 million dollars have been invested in South America in projects of different kinds where concrete results are already being seen for the benefit of the various football stakeholders in its different branches and categories to make football truly global, promote integrity, ethics and fair play.