Location and general information
Access to Sport - 
Gender Equality - 
Healthy lifestyle - Sponsors - 
Strengthening partnershipsContext
The UEFA Foundation for Children and the adidas Foundation together designed the Legacy for the Future project to help organisations advance gender equity in and through sport in their local area. In ongoing consultation with the FIA Foundation, we agreed to expand the project to include advocating for safer journeys to school and active mobility. There will be a focus on collecting stories and evidence from partner organisations to highlight the systemic barriers women and girls face in accessing sport, getting to and from sports facilities and school and staying physically active, as well as the action required to empower them and overcome these barriers at an institutional level across Europe.
From a road safety perspective, the equivalent of around 84 football teams of children and teenagers were killed or injured in road crashes in Georgia in 2024 alone: a total of 923 children under the age of 17, almost double the EU average. Almost half of the casualties were girls. In Moldova in 2024, 447 children under the age of 17 were killed or injured on the roads – the equivalent of around 40 football teams. Most of these casualties were aged 10 to 17 and around 40% were girls. Bosnia and Herzegovina also faces significant road safety challenges, with 67 road deaths per million inhabitants, compared to an EU average of 44.6. Children are particularly vulnerable when travelling to school and recreational facilities, including football pitches and community sports centres.
Project goals
Georgia and Moldova
- Improve road safety around parks and football clubs to reduce a significant barrier to girls participating in sport, focusing on the following themes identified as issues by clubs, civil society and local authorities:
- Safe speed limits in areas of active travel
- Safe and accessible infrastructure around parks and clubs
- Visibility when travelling at night
Romania (pilot project)
- Create a replicable, scalable and sustainable model for integrating critical thinking, debating, dreaming and world-building exercises into self-defence training for girls living and studying in underprivileged communities near Cluj and Bucharest
- Increase personal safety in school and sport by building assertiveness, confidence and self-esteem, while reducing fear and anxiety
Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Identify risks and prioritise upgrades on routes to schools and sports facilities using the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) methodology
- Empower young people in interactive football-based road safety workshops using the iRAP Youth Engagement App (YEA), enabling them to report hazards, share safety perceptions and co-create solutions
- Promote gender equity by specifically addressing the needs and mobility patterns of young girls, encouraging their sustained participation in both education and sport
- Leverage football networks to mobilise communities, engage parents and influence local decision-makers in support of safe and inclusive journeys
Project content
- Interactive workshops combining football skills with road safety education
- Road safety awareness training with girls’ football teams in each club
- Intergenerational ‘mobility snapshots’ or ‘star ratings’ of schools and football grounds to identify and assess the main risks and advocate for safer mobility
- iRAP SR4S assessments in high-risk locations identified by students
- Support for the implementation of low-cost, high-impact safety improvements (e.g. crossings, signage, speed reduction/traffic calming measures)
- Sessions incorporated into sports and civic education classes as well during annual extracurricular education weeks
Partner
