Vulnerable children

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Romania
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €513,744
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 2024000806
Partners Samusocial International
Categories Access to Sport - Personal development

Context

While child protection in Romania has improved considerably over the past two decades, many children in Bucharest remain socially excluded. These include children from discriminated minorities, those living with their families in informal settlements, youngsters on the streets who have often fallen into addiction, and children living in institutions with limited opportunities for integration.

Project goals

  • Foster the social and educational integration of children and young people living in institutions, on the streets or in squalid conditions through participation in sport
  • Provide children and young people with opportunities to increase their self-confidence, meet other young people, prevent violence, learn how to live together and develop their potential

Project content

  • Street work providing direct care and emergency aid to families and children living in informal settlements or on the streets in Bucharest
  • Collaboration with public and private reception centres to reach children living in institutions in at least two Bucharest districts
  • Sports training and competitions designed to motivate young people and help them develop life skills as well as respect for rules and other people

Partners

The dream starts here!

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Italy, Sicily
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €90,000
Foundation funding €45,000
Project identifier 2024000370
Partners ASD Centro Olimpia Giarratana
Categories Access to Sport - Infrastructure and equipment

Context

Founded in 1984, the volunteer-driven club ASD Centro Olimpia Giarratana has long been nurturing the dreams of children in the Ragusa region of Sicily through football. Its facilities have deteriorated significantly over time and are now in urgent need of renovation.

Project goals

ASD Centro Olimpia Giarratana’s primary objective is to provide a safe and positive space for children to develop not only their athletic skills but also their confidence, discipline and teamwork. Their development as people takes priority over their development as football players. The club also aims to serve as a social and recreational hub for the community while also promoting physical activity.

Project content

The club provides football and volleyball activities for boys and girls, aged between 8 and 14 years old. The UEFA Foundation for Children’s funding will go towards replacing the worn-out artificial turf pitch, upgrading the dressing rooms and constructing a community bar area where parents can relax while their children play.

Partners

Open activities

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Sweden
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €64,942
Foundation funding €13,916
Project identifier 2024000664
Partners En Frisk Generation
Categories Access to Sport - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

In Sweden, children living in under-resourced urban areas of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö face challenges such as social isolation, physical inactivity and limited access to sport. These issues contribute to health disparities, social exclusion and a lack of community cohesion.

Project goals

En Frisk Generation provides free, inclusive outdoor activities in order to:

  • promote physical health and well-being
  • foster social inclusion and community engagement
  • enhance children’s personal development and teamwork
  • ensure that all children have access to equitable and inclusive sports opportunities
  • build stronger, more connected communities through sport

Project content

Sessions aimed at children aged 4 to 12 years old are offered on a regular basis in local parks and sports facilities. The sessions include activities such as football and other ball sports, with an emphasis on teamwork and physical fitness, as well as education about healthy lifestyles and nutrition. En Frisk Generation works with numerous local clubs and hopes to engage the community by holding the sessions in public places to encourage spontaneous participation.

Partners

Powering Potential

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location United Kingdom and Ireland
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/19/2025
Cost of the project €182,464
Foundation funding €93,964
Project identifier 2024000177
Partners Rio Ferdinand Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Personal development

Context

In the UK and Ireland, many young adults from minority ethnic groups and working-class communities are at a disadvantage in the world of work, despite recent progress among some communities. A collaborative approach aimed at increasing social inclusion and upskilling marginalised young people to enhance their employability is the only way to drive genuine social change.

Project goals

  • Build the transferable skills, confidence, employability and social capital of socially excluded young adults through a football-based programme
  • Provide role models from different communities and backgrounds to inspire and motivate young adults
  • Build a network of brands, employers and community organisations offering upstream opportunities, such as professional mentoring, careers events and pathways
  • Develop a best practice model to attract sustainable mainstream funding for long-term transitional change across target communities

Project content

  • Year-round community-based football activities aimed at building relationships
  • Personal development workshops and soft-skills training
  • Accredited leadership courses, training courses on equality, diversity and inclusion, self-confidence, coaching and digital media
  • Opportunities to connect young adults with relatable role models, mentors and industry insiders
  • Careers events, opportunities and pathways that engage various industries, including cultural and creative sectors, football-specific advertising, media, tech, music and fashion

Partners

Junior Camp

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Romania
Start date 04/01/2025
End date 10/31/2026
Cost of the project €164,900
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 2024000421
Partners European Amputee Football Federation
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle

Context

Children with amputations and limb differences are often confronted by a range of physical, emotional and social challenges, and research shows that disabled children experience more bullying and discrimination than their peers. Adaptive sports are crucial for their development but access remains limited or non-existent. Providing children with amputations and limb differences with opportunities to participate in football improves their well-being and enables them to integrate and develop.

Project goals

  • Create more opportunities for young people to play amputee football
  • Establish new national programmes and increase the number of players, girls especially
  • Use the cultural power of football to enhance disabled children’s sense of self-worth, build confidence and independence
  • Foster physical, emotional and psychological well-being
  • Enhance social integration and peer support, promote cultural exchanges between participants
  • Encourage lifelong engagement in sport and active lifestyles
  • Raise awareness and advocate for inclusion

Project content

Junior Camp is an annual amputee football camp that offers children from Europe and further afield an inclusive, supportive and empowering environment. It creates opportunities for children to play football, connect through the universal language of sport and develop their skills. The camp is also a platform for coaches to share knowledge and experience and for parents to bond with their children.

Junior Camp is more than just a single event; it is a tool to promote and develop national programmes and motivate children to train all year round. The 2025 camp is being held in Eforie Nord, Romania.

Activities

  • Amputee football training and games: professional coaches and players run specialised training sessions focusing on skills development and teamwork (drills, practice matches and technical exercises tailored to each player's abilities)
  • Safeguarding workshops for new and experienced coaches
  • Cultural experiences: opportunities to absorb the culture and history of the camp's host venue
  • Activities that bring parents and coaches together

Partners

T.E.A.M Project

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Scotland
Start date 04/01/2025
End date 03/31/2026
Cost of the project €148,000
Foundation funding €78,144
Project identifier 2024001326
Partners Big Hearts Community Trust
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

In Scotland, vulnerable children affected by trauma, poverty, cultural differences, language barriers, disabilities or mental health issues are at risk of struggling with the transition from primary to secondary school. Support for these children has been found to be particularly insufficient in Edinburgh, Falkirk, Paisley, Motherwell and Greenock.

Project goals

The T.E.A.M project uses football as a tool to improve the resilience and social connectedness of vulnerable children. It aims to:

  • Encourage new friendships and social connections
  • Help to forge connections between participants and their community
  • Improve physical health
  • Boost confidence and well-being

Project content

The project delivers weekly football sessions alongside confidence and resilience-building activities for 250 marginalised children aged 10 to 12, and they are also given a healthy snack during each session.

More than 80% of the children experience an improvement in their confidence and well-being. Parents feel more confident in supporting their children and children feel better connected in their personal relationships.

A model and learning plan are being developed with a view to rolling the programme out to more Scottish communities in the medium to long term.

Partners

Bijzondere Eredivisie (Special Premier League)

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Netherlands
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 07/01/2026
Cost of the project €421,000
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 2024000243
Partners Stichting het Gehandicapte Kind
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Personal development

Context

Approximately 1,500 children play disability football in the Netherlands. Like all children, they dream of playing for their favourite professional clubs, and thanks to the Bijzondere Eredivisie, this dream can become a reality. Disabled children are given the spotlight and get to show that they are capable of playing at the highest level.

Project goals

  • Increase the visibility of disabled children
  • Inspire disabled children to play football and other sports
  • Increase disabled children’s participation in sport
  • Increase awareness of disability football in the Netherlands
  • Establish a sustainable competition, including all professional Dutch football clubs

Project content

The Bijzondere Eredivisie, launched in 2029, is a competition in which professional football clubs enter teams of disabled children. It is the first competition of its kind in the world, enabling disabled children to play for their favourite professional football clubs.

Teams are mixed, comprising 12 boys and girls of different ages and disabilities, carefully selected to ensure a balanced competition. They compete in a full league competition.

At the start of the season, the players sign a contract and are introduced to the press. They train with their clubs and participate in various workshops, for example on healthy nutrition and dealing with the media training.

The players travel to matches using the official team bus used by the first team and are invited to perform a lap of honour on the pitch at their opening match.

 

Partners

Prishtina Girls’ Football Team

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Kosovo
Start date 02/01/2025
End date 07/31/2026
Cost of the project €161,650
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 2024001492
Partners KFV Prishtina
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Cultural norms and structural barriers limit girls' participation in sport in Kosovo. A lack of institutional support and inadequate infrastructure are particular obstacles.

Thanks to the UEFA foundation, a big step forward has been made, however, with the creation of the first football field in Kosovo managed by a women’s team, KFV Prishtina, through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Municipality of Prishtina.

Project goals

  • Create a safe, empowering and inclusive environment where girls from all communities and of all abilities can thrive in football, breaking down societal barriers and encouraging equal, active participation
  • Advocate for girls’ rights, raise awareness of gender-based violence and promote gender equality, social inclusion and empowerment within and beyond football
  • Promote leadership, peacebuilding, diversity, teamwork, respect and negotiation skills for personal and professional growth

Project content

  • Strategic partnerships: Establishing of long-term MoUs with other stakeholders to ensure sustained access to schools and sports facilities, creating a robust ecosystem for women’s football in Kosovo
  • Media awareness: A joint press conference with the Football Federation of Kosovo to launch the project and a dedicated Women in Football channel supported by leading news portals, raising awareness of gender equality in sport
  • Infrastructure development: Improving and adapting sports facilities to ensure equal access for girls, essential football equipment and coaching resources, and dedicated spaces for female athletes
  • Mixed participation: Promoting the integration of girls into U9 and U11 boys' leagues to normalise mixed participation and address the challenge of limited girls-only leagues
  • FC Barcelona collaboration: Partnership with FC Barcelona to include girls in all Barça Academy activities in Kosovo, providing equal opportunities and promoting inclusivity in football from a young age
  • Gender-based violence prevention: Educational workshops for girls and coaches to teach about preventing and reporting gender-based violence in line with the UEFA guidelines on child and youth protection
  • Free coaching and role models: Free, structured football training sessions in schools, using national team players as role models to inspire and encourage young female athletes
  • Parent and community engagement: Establishing a parents' council for all U9-U15 teams, promoting increased parental involvement in girls' as well as boys’ football
  • Inclusivity for disabled girls: Ongoing free football training for girls with Down’s syndrome (MoU with Down Syndrome Kosova), promoting inclusivity and participation in sport
  • Women’s leadership in sport: Supporting and encouraging women’s participation in refereeing and coaching, increasing female representation in decision-making roles within football
  • Mental health and well-being: Advocating for the mental health benefits of sport, fostering resilience, confidence and well-being among young female athletes
  • Environmental sustainability: Empowering girls to take leadership roles in environmental sustainability initiatives, integrating sustainable practices into football training and events
  • Alignment with SDGs: Ensuring the project contributes to global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to gender equality, education, health and climate action through sport

Partners

Mbo Mpenza Challenge

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Belgium
Start date 09/01/2024
End date 09/01/2026
Cost of the project €141,748
Foundation funding €85,000
Project identifier 2024000539
Partners Impala Performance ASBL
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Young people have been benefiting from the Mbo Mpenza Challenge’s football tournaments for seven years. For the last year, all schools in the French-speaking Community of Belgium have had free access to the project’s pedagogical resources through their e-learning platforms. Moving forward, the project wants to reach more children and develop its work within schools.

Project goals

  • Introduce the Mbo Mpenza method in schools as part of general civics and PE lessons
  • Promote inclusion and diversity through football
  • Educate young people on tackling discrimination
  • Raise responsible, respectful and tolerant citizens
  • Evaluate the project’s impact on young people
  • Broaden access to sport for all children, regardless of their socio-economic background

Project content

The Mbo Mpenza method fights all forms of discrimination through its work on three pillars: awareness-raising, training and action. By working with schools, the project hopes to broaden its reach and engage with children from all backgrounds who have not always had access to sport. With the awareness-raising and training aspects of the project already under way, focus now turns to the action pillar.

A number of activities and programmes are planned, including:

  • Organising the Mbo Mpenza Challenge, a national and international football tournament
  • Developing an application to assess results and ensure continued support for participants
  • Sponsoring children from disadvantaged areas to give them access to sport
  • Running educational workshops on topics such as fighting discrimination, first aid and nutrition
  • Educating young people through civics and French lessons and educational and sporting activities

Partners

Football for Economic Empowerment and Improved Mental Health

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Netherlands, Ter Apel
Start date 03/24/2025
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €100,172
Foundation funding €73,352
Project identifier 2024001105
Partners KNVB WorldCoaches
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Migration is a divisive issue, especially when it comes to asylum policies. The Dutch government’s announcement of new asylum and migration rules, including plans to repeal a law that ensures accommodation for people with refugee status is distributed fairly across the country, has led many municipalities to abandon plans for asylum shelters, worsening overcrowding at the central reception centre in Ter Apel.

There are two central reception centres in the Netherlands, run by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA). All unaccompanied minors are sent to Ter Apel, which now houses more than five times the permitted number, resulting in poor living conditions and neglect. Without education, activities or mentorship, children are reportedly showing more signs of trauma on leaving the centre than when they arrived, and the COA is struggling from lack of resources.

Project goals

  • Empower young asylum seekers and refugees living in Ter Apel by training them to become community coaches who organise regular, structured sports activities for children
  • Teach young asylum seekers and refugees leadership skills, help them take on mentorship roles and foster a sense of responsibility within the community
  • Improve the mental health of both the community coaches, through a renewed sense of purpose and self-worth, and the children who benefit from the positive, structured activities they organise

Project content

  • Football and life skills train-the-trainer courses will be provided to minors housed at the reception centre and refugees living in Ter Apel.
  • Children will be involved in practical sessions so that the course participants can put theory into practice.
  • In groups, participants will be tasked with organising daily sport activities for children.
  • If moved to a different part of the country, WorldCoaches will put the participants in contact with their nearest football club or reception centre so that they can continue their coaching activities.
  • Awareness events will be organised, for example on International Migrants Day.

Partners

Play for Equality

Location and general information

En cours
Location Ukraine (countrywide except for the temporarily occupied territories)
Start date 02/03/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €141,300
Foundation funding €92,500
Project identifier 2024000853
Partners Klitschko Foundation
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

The war in Ukraine has traumatised many children, with 75% experiencing symptoms such as emotional instability and trouble sleeping. As a result of the shift to online learning, over three quarters of schoolchildren now lead a sedentary lifestyle and only 5% are in good health by the time they leave school. Gender inequality is another problem facing Ukraine, which ranked 66th out of 146 countries in the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index. School is often the first place where children encounter inequality.

Project goals

  • Promote mental health through sport and encourage schoolchildren to get active
  • Champion equal opportunities in sport
  • Educate and empower PE teachers
  • Provide schools with sports equipment and help them to create sports programmes
  • Raise awareness of these topics

Project content

  • A five-day in-person training session for 80 PE teachers from across Ukraine
  • Local sports programmes for children aged 6 to 18 years old led by PE teachers, with a minimum of 75 participants per school
  • Sports equipment for participating schools
  • A week-long innovative sports and educational camp for 120 children aged 11 or 12 and 24 teachers
  • New lessons introduced into the school curriculum

Partners

Football for Life

Location and general information

to be started
Location Switzerland, Bern
Start date 08/01/2025
End date 07/31/2026
Cost of the project €292,037
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 2024000886
Partners Swiss Academy for Development
Categories Access to Sport - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Exercise, sport and play are key components of a child’s development that promote curiosity, empathy, social interaction, learning, joy and much more. At the same time, language skills are essential for education, work and social life. In Switzerland, there are great inequalities across both language development and physical activity, with children and young people from underprivileged backgrounds at a disadvantage. These inequalities often impact school performance, physical and mental well-being and personal development. Experiences at an early age set the tone for life. Getting involved in sport and developing language skills while young can support ongoing skills development and future educational success.

Project goals

Overall goal

Provide equal access to opportunities for education and development and foster the social integration of children, especially girls, from a migrant background through sport.

Specific objectives

  • Provide children with regular access to exercise and sport
  • Enhance children's language and learning skills through a movement-based learning approach, using football as a motivational tool
  • Encourage the development of personal and social skills through sports and play-based learning activities

Project content

The project Football for Life uses football to support 8 to 13-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds. The project consists of weekly football training sessions that foster language development and regular cultural events, such as a children's press conference with professional football players.

The training sessions and cultural events are organised and delivered by multidisciplinary teams comprising students from Bern University of Teacher Education, coaches from local grassroots sports clubs and teachers from participating primary schools.

The weekly training sessions, which take place at the primary schools, address topics relating to football in a playful and interactive way and offer dynamic opportunities for language use. Activities designed to enhance the children’s language skills include discussing player roles and team dynamics and working collaboratively to develop game strategies. At the same time, the sessions develop motor skills and football-specific techniques and promote values such as fairness, teamwork and self-confidence.

All project activities are based on the Swiss Academy for Development’s well-established, award-winning approach, which fosters life skills through sport and play.

Partners

football3 at school

Location and general information

to be started
Location Poland
Start date 07/01/2025
End date 10/31/2026
Cost of the project €160,320
Foundation funding €48,700
Project identifier 2024001156
Partners Trenuj Bycie Dobrym
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

A significant challenge facing football in Poland is gender inequality, notably in terms of access and representation. In 2022, only 6.7% of the country’s 443,525 football players were women and only two of the 12 top-division women's football teams had a female manager. Children learn from an early age that football is only for boys, a stereotype which can be tackled at school.

Project goals

Breaking down stereotypes takes hard work and time. Our experience has shown that schools are a great place to tackle this problem, and teachers, children and parents can all play a part. Over the last three years, we have seen football3 change people’s outlooks. The project encourages girls to get involved in football and boys to support them, while at the same time showing teachers the potential benefits of incorporating football3 into their daily work.

  • Promote equal access to football for girls and boys
  • Raise awareness of football3 and its use in promoting inclusivity in sports for 7 to 9-year-olds
  • Strengthen cooperation with the Polish Football Association to encourage more girls and women to get involved in football3

Project content

  • Run 16 in-person certified football3 training sessions in all 16 regions of Poland
  • Deliver at least 500 football3 lessons to over 4,500 children over the 2025/26 school year
  • Organise 16 football3 changemakers tournaments across the country and a final gala to promote equal access to football for everyone
  • Research and assess the project’s impact

Partners

Sport in the Service of Peace

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Israel
Start date 12/01/2024
End date 11/30/2025
Cost of the project €218,686
Foundation funding €65,385
Project identifier 2024000740
Partners Peres Center for Peace and Innovation
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Even before the tragic events in Israel on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza, relations between Israelis and Palestinians and between Arab and Jewish citizens in Israel were marred by a longstanding conflict that has led to multi-generational fear, distrust and discrimination. Children and youth are particularly vulnerable to radicalising ‘us and them’ rhetoric, which has only got worse with the current war. It is therefore crucial to provide opportunities for positive dialogue that will enable Jewish and Arab children and young people to challenge their fears and break through the psychological, emotional and linguistic barriers that impede the building of foundations for mutual trust, respect and peace.

Project goals

  • Facilitate intercultural dialogue and peacebuilding among Jewish and Arab children, young people and adults in Israel and, if possible, in the Palestinian territories
  • Promote positive perceptions, challenge negative stereotypes and foster cooperation, trust and understanding among participants
  • Increase access to high-quality sport and peace education, especially on the geographic and socioeconomic peripheries

Project content

The Sport in the Service of Peace programme employs a ‘train the trainers’ model, working with community leaders and educators to provide anti-discrimination and leadership training for young people. Jewish and Arab educational partners work together to implement football-based peace education activities for children aged 8 to 12 in both mono- and bi-cultural contexts. Such activities include regular football training, Hebrew/Arabic language learning, cultural exchanges and peace education sessions, as well as football matches played in mixed Jewish-Arab teams using the FairPlay and Green Card methodologies.

Partners

Second Chances

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Hungary, Budapest
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2025
Cost of the project €69,440
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 2024000843
Partners Second Chance Sport Association
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Many skilled teachers have recently left the profession, which is impacting young people’s access to quality education. Without role models to guide them, children can lose the ability to think critically and struggle to make important life decisions. A lack of critical thinking can foster hostility and prejudice. At the same time, those stuck in a fixed mindset will find their opportunities limited.

Project goals

  • Create sustainable spaces where everyone, regardless of background, has access to community sport programmes that contribute to their physical and mental well-being
  • Tackle discrimination by building young people’s self-esteem without relying on in-group and out-group dynamics
  • Provide a place for learning about our differences and understanding others, encouraging critical thinking and promoting the added value of diversity

Project content

The programme follows two decades of work spent empowering at-risk groups and fostering their social inclusion. Activities on and off the pitch have proved effective in creating strong communities and offering a sense of belonging to groups left behind by society and their peers. Football connects the programme participants, who can learn through shared experiences and develop transferable skills that are essential to gain back governance over their lives. Sports activities include regular football training, a fair play football roadshow, summer camps and participation in international sports events, where the diverse team put together by Second Chance represents Hungary. Activities off the pitch focus on skills development (e.g. digital skills training), empowerment (e.g. an early pregnancy prevention workshop) and programme sustainability (e.g. training for coaches).

Partners

Football Schools Revival

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Ukraine (30 locations across the country)
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 05/31/2026
Cost of the project €26,120
Foundation funding €23,321
Project identifier 2024000460
Partners Shakhtar Social
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality

Context

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has resulted in significant displacement, with over 7 million internally displaced people (IDPs) as of October 2023, including more than 1 million children. Many children have lost access to sports facilities, disrupting their development.

Project goals

  • Support football schools in Ukraine, including de-occupied areas
  • Improve access to sports for children, particularly from war-affected regions
  • Promote gender equality by ensuring female participation

Project content

The project is a social football support programme aimed to help football and public schools throughout the country (including de-occupied areas) continue their activities and training and to ensure that displaced children can do what they love most – play football.

‘Football Schools Revival’ will provide equipment and resources to 30 football schools to help them resume operations as well as support coaching education, hold football sessions for children, and monitor impact through site visits. The initiative will also include community engagement and awareness campaigns. The project will engage approximately 2,500 children, aged 6-16, with a focus on including 50% internally displaced children.

Partners