Football for Unity

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Dublin, Ireland
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 10/31/2026
Cost of the project €65,860
Foundation funding €30,000
Project identifier 2025002117
Partners Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI)
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

The northeastern inner city of Dublin suffers from high levels of deprivation and poverty, with high concentrations of lone parents (up to 80% in some areas), unemployment (approximately 50% of men and 40% of women, against a national average of 4%), low educational attainment (50% of people aged 15 and over have primary education only, against a national average of 9%) and high levels of crime and substance abuse. It is also the area in Ireland with the highest percentage of ethnic minorities.

Project goals

  • Increase mutual understanding between children and young people with different backgrounds and improve the integration of migrants and third-country nationals
  • Create safe spaces for children and young people to play football
  • Promote migrants’ involvement in sport and volunteering
  • Foster youth empowerment through football
  • Create more cohesion between young people, community groups, police and local authorities
  • Educate participants in diversity and inclusion, and against racism and xenophobia

Project content

Three months of football training nights and diversity and inclusion education leading up to a series of seven-a-side football tournaments in various age categories across the northeastern inner city of Dublin in June and July.

Partner

Football for children and teenagers from low-income communities

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Parque Ecodeportivo Santo Domingo Oeste, Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic
Start date 02/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €56,034
Foundation funding €28,017
Project identifier 2025002480
Partners Fundacíon Café con Leche
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

In low-income, structurally disadvantaged communities, the education system is often overstretched and many families lack the economic and social resources they would need to enrol their children in structured extracurricular activities. As a result, young people have limited access to healthy leisure and safe spaces that promote positive social interactions, personal growth and academic motivation, increasing their vulnerability to social exclusion and risky behaviour.

Football is a popular leisure activity in Santo Domingo but most youngsters play informally, rarely as part of a structured programme, limiting the educational potential. Projects that intentionally link sport with educational support and personal development are scarce.

 

Project goals

Create a safe, structured and supportive environment that:

  • promotes the holistic development and empowerment of children and teenagers growing up in vulnerable communities in Santo Domingo;
  • strengthens participants’ physical and mental well-being, fosters self-esteem and social inclusion, and supports academic success;
  • equips young people with essential life skills, positive role models and the motivation necessary to pursue educational and personal goals despite structural disadvantages.

Project content

  • 11 weekly 90-minute football training sessions for children and teenagers
  • 10 weekly one-hour educational sessions for children and teenagers
  • Friendly football matches and tournaments at least once a month
  • 10 educational trips and talks for children and teenagers
  • 12 one-hour workshops and talks with a psychologist offering psycho-emotional support

Partner

Play and Debate

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Aley and Beirut (Achrafieh district), Lebanon
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €35,572
Foundation funding €15,240
Project identifier 2025001131
Partners Baroudeurs de l'Espoir
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Lebanon is facing a serious multisectoral crisis, exacerbated by the current war and regional conflicts, which are having a profound effect on young people. Persistent instability, electricity and fuel shortages and the breakdown of essential services are restricting children’s access to education, healthcare and protection. War also increases the risk of domestic violence, child labour, family separation and psychosocial distress.

Project goals

Use sport to support the psychosocial development of children and teenagers in Lebanon, offering them opportunities to relax in a safe environment, teaching them about peace and social harmony, and enabling them to grow, exercise, excel and develop team spirit.

Project content

Two-hour socio-educational sports sessions, offering children and teenagers a precious opportunity to move, play, learn and develop a sense of teamwork.

The first hour is divided into three 20-minute sections in which the children learn a new game, receive a presentation on a particular topic (e.g. conflict management or peace) and then discuss the topic and how to apply it to their everyday lives. A nutritious snack is provided – a valuable support for families experiencing financial hardship – before the second half of the session, which comprises a mini sports tournament.

 

Partner

Kicking off rights: Sport as a gateway to legal identity and other children’s rights

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 06/30/2027
Cost of the project €143,286
Foundation funding €71,643
Project identifier 2025000291
Partners Toybox Charity
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Employability - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

A growing number of children and young adults in Santa Cruz live on the streets with no identity documents because their births were unregistered or they have lost their papers. Without a legal identity, they are denied access to healthcare, social services, education and employment. They are confronted with systemic discrimination, generational poverty and extreme vulnerability. Despite the urgency, no government policies address their needs; these children remain invisible and at risk.

Sport can be used to get these street children into the system and give them a legal identity, opening the door to long-denied rights while building trust and resilience, confidence and life skills.

Project goals

By June 2027:

  • Get 50 street/high-risk children to attend weekly sports practice or play, through which they can access identity documents, education and healthcare
  • Secure legal identity documents for 720 children
  • Enrol 120 children in education
  • Educate 30 health workers to actively support street/high-risk children

Project content

  • Birth registrations, IDs and disability cards
  • Outreach: Street work, child contact and first aid
  • Sports activities: Football and Zumba
  • Education: Preschool play, literacy, numeracy and crafts
  • School support: Enrolment and education campaigns
  • Health: Check-ups, disability evaluations and follow-up

Partner

Move Forward

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Budapest, Hungary
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €72,840
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 2025001801
Partners Second Chance Sports Association
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

In Hungary, disadvantaged children and refugees face serious challenges such as poverty, social exclusion and restricted access to education and support services. Organisations working with them operate under significant pressure and cannot rely on stable domestic funding. These conditions make targeted projects essential to maintain support for marginalised communities and respond to their needs.

Project goals

  • Strengthen social cohesion and a sense of belonging among disadvantaged children and refugees
  • Develop participants’ personal and social skills, including teamwork, communication, self-confidence and problem-solving, in order to support successful social integration
  • Raise awareness of key values, including equality, women's empowerment and fairness
  • Foster intercultural exchange and skill development
  • Support participants' well-being
  • Strengthen the capacity of staff and volunteers delivering sports-based educational programmes and adapt innovative methodologies to different community needs

Project content

  • Organise regular football and basketball training sessions that create an inclusive environment, develop essential personal and social competencies and promote teamwork and mutual respect among participants
  • Provide individualised support through mentoring, social work, job-seeking assistance and other tailored services
  • Run fair play football roadshows that combine sport with awareness-raising, promoting values such as equality, non-discrimination and active citizenship
  • Hold workshops on topics such as anti-racism, digital literacy, employability, women's empowerment, adolescent pregnancy prevention and financial skills
  • Through our Social Coach training, we build the capacity of staff and volunteers to work more effectively with marginalized groups using sport-based methodologies.
  • In addition, we aim to pilot and further develop a football-based educational and skill-building methodology.

Partner

Sports Generation

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €282,844
Foundation funding €95,000
Project identifier 2025001148
Partners Association TIBU Maroc
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

In many African countries, including Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, children grow up with limited access to structured physical activity, health education and safe, inclusive spaces. State schools, particularly in rural, peri-urban and fragile areas, often lack regular programmes promoting well-being, disease prevention and equal opportunities for girls and boys.

At the same time, a significant number of young people face serious challenges in accessing decent employment, especially those no longer in the education system and not already working or being trained for work. This increases vulnerability to social exclusion, irregular migration and long-term poverty. In Libya and other areas affected by instability or natural disasters, children are even more exposed to psychosocial and educational risks.

In these circumstances, sport represents a powerful lever to promote health, inclusion, resilience and community cohesion. Génération Sportive uses sport as a structured educational tool, strengthening local teams by means of a ‘train the trainers’ model and using a ‘solidarity caravan’ to reach the most remote and fragile areas.

Project goals

  • Promote healthy and active lifestyles among children through regular sport and well-being education
  • Foster inclusive, safe and gender-equal school environments
  • Strengthen local capacities by training sports and health activity leaders to serve as community changemakers
  • Support the professional integration of young adults through the recruitment and certification of 31 activity leaders
  • Extend access to sport and educational activities to remote and fragile areas through a mobile ‘solidarity caravan’
  • Build sustainable partnerships with ministries, schools and local associations to ensure long-term impact and ownership

Project content

The project is implemented through a set of complementary and structured activities:

  • Weekly sports-health sessions in 31 schools, ensuring that each child participates in at least one guided physical activity a week
  • Daily well-being support provided by activity leaders, focusing on hygiene, nutrition, emotional health and positive behaviour
  • Inclusive and mixed-gender sports activities promoting equal participation of girls and boys and challenging stereotypes
  • A ‘train the trainers’ system that trains, certifies and supports 31 sports and health activity leaders to become local community leaders
  • Cascading of training so that the activity leaders can transfer their skills to more than 600 youngsters and other members of the local community
  • A solidarity sports caravan that takes sport, education and awareness activities to rural, remote and crisis-affected areas

Partner

Powering Potential

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location UK and Ireland
Start date 11/15/2025
End date 12/15/2026
Cost of the project €179,777
Foundation funding €90,177
Project identifier 2025000299
Partners Rio Ferdinand Foundation
Categories Employability - Personal development

Context

In 2025, the Child Poverty Action Group reported that 31% of young people in the UK live in relative poverty, a figure that rises to 49% among black communities and 61% in some Asian communities.

Social mobility and employability in meaningful careers is a major issue in the UK, with young people from minority or working-class backgrounds, refugees, asylum seekers, women and those living in poverty most affected.

Education, skills development and connection to opportunities are key to addressing these issues.

Project goals

  • Give young people the inspiration, confidence and aspiration to harness their potential.
  • Increase their knowledge of the breadth of careers and roles available to them.
  • Create relatable training and work experience pathways to help young people to gain skills and experience.
  • Challenge limiting beliefs and provide best practice for creating social mobility pathways.
  • Deliver education and employability projects that lift young people out of poverty.
  • Build a network of employers to support the pathways.

Project content

Powering Potential uses football and youth culture in online and in-person training relating to the following areas:

  • personal development to enhance confidence and aspirations;
  • developing life skills and transferable skills;
  • vocational training and accreditation to enhance employability;
  • providing connections to careers and employers to enhance knowledge and networks;
  • work placement opportunities to build experience;
  • building relationships with contacts;
  • pathways to education, training and employment.

Partner

Kick for Hope

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps, Jordan
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €400,000
Foundation funding €150,000
Project identifier 202500713
Partners Association Football Development Programme Global (AFDPG)
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Jordan hosts a large number of refugees relative to its total population. According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, approximately 445,000 registered asylum seekers and refugees were living in the country in November 2025, with Syrian nationals making up the vast majority at around 422,000.

While these figures reflect the numbered of registered refugees, the total Syrian refugee population in Jordan, including unregistered individuals, is substantially higher – some estimates place the figure in excess of 1.3 million.

Jordan has hosted large numbers of Syrian refugees in the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps and in urban and peri-urban communities across the country since the start of the crisis in 2011. The protracted nature of displacement means that many Syrian refugee families have been living in Jordan for well over a decade.

Many young refugees live in overcrowded environments with limited access to safe, structured recreational and educational activities. The absence of regular, supportive activities and safe spaces for them to play, socialise and develop skills can lead to stress, boredom and behavioural challenges, which can in turn impact emotional well-being, social integration and long-term development.

Project goals

  • Build the capacity of Syrian coaches and create employment opportunities
  • Provide children and young adults with access to safe spaces to enjoy football and other sports activities
  • Promote life skills through sport
  • Create professional development and competitive opportunities for young refugees
  • Create football clubs in the camps

Project content

  • Select Syrian youth coaches and administrators
  • Deliver in-person training for coaches, coordinators and admin teams
  • Organise ongoing football, judo, table tennis and other sports activities for children and young adults
  • Organise football leagues for all age groups
  • Run Zumba classes for Syrian girls
  • Enter a team of Syrian refugees in the local U13 boys’ grassroots league
  • Enter a team in the Jordan Judo League

Partner

Twinning Goals

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Maseru District, Lesotho and North Wales
Start date 02/01/2026
End date 01/31/2028
Cost of the project €411,700
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 202500774
Partners Kick4Life and Wrexham AFC
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Lesotho and Wales have been twinned since 1985. They face similar health challenges that impact children and young people, including challenges relating to mental health, nutrition, healthy living, substance misuse, and sexual and reproductive health.

Project goals

  • Use football to equip 2,350 children and young people across Lesotho and Wales with knowledge and transferable skills so they can protect and promote their health and well-being.
  • Provide eight coaches (four from Kick4Life and four from Wrexham AFC) with opportunities for personal development and cultural exchange, thereby developing values of global citizenship and strengthening ties within the global football community.
  • Achieve a 50:50 gender balance among both participants and coaches.
  • Improve the two organisations’ safeguarding, gender, and monitoring and evaluation practices.

Project content

  • Training coaches to deliver training sessions in their respective countries.
  • Delivering a health education, gender equality and life skills curriculum to young people.
  • Referring young people to external health and protection services when required.
  • Two in-person learning and cultural exchanges (one in each country).
  • An series of online learning exchanges on topics including safeguarding, gender, and monitoring and evaluation.

Partners

RePlay Project

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Şanlıurfa, Türkiye
Start date 11/05/2025
End date 11/05/2026
Cost of the project €59,220
Foundation funding €35,220
Project identifier 2025001225
Partners Kızlar Sahada
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Türkiye was ranked 135th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Gender Gap Report. Only 1% of licensed football players are women, reflecting deep gender inequality in sport. Şanlıurfa, a region facing significant sociocultural and socio-economic challenges, has some of the highest rates of child marriage and school dropout, and girls in the area face significant barriers to participating in both sport and society.

Project goals

The RePlay Project organises free and accessible football activities and community events to promote fair play, build life skills, foster inclusion and empower girls and boys and is now entering its third year in Şanlıurfa.

  • Use football to strengthen social and emotional skills, helping individuals to face personal and community challenges
  • Foster belonging and collaboration by engaging families, coaches, and local stakeholders in community activities
  • Create a safe, inclusive environment that is welcoming to everyone, especially marginalised groups, ensuring free access to sport
  • Promote gender equality by empowering girls through regular training and events

Project content

  • Conduct regular football activities, including football3 sessions, technical training, and matches, to develop social and emotional skills
  • Organise five events to engage the community and raise awareness of the project
  • Consult with schools, NGOs, local governments, and clubs to ensure free, inclusive, and safe access to football
  • Deliver workshops, presentations, and games focused on gender equity

Partner

Safe Soccer Development Programme

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Ukraine, Chernihiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €500,000
Foundation funding €150,000
Project identifier 2025000863
Partners Spirit of Soccer
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Ukraine’s children face unprecedented dangers amid the ongoing conflict. More than 340 educational facilities were damaged or destroyed in 2025 alone, bringing the total to over 2,800 since the start of the war. Nearly 4.6 million children have had their education disrupted. In addition, 23–30% of the country’s territory is contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance ­– one of the most severe consequences of the war. Since the war began in February 2022, hundreds of children have been killed or injured by explosive remnants, with boys aged 14 to 17 particularly at risk from exploring contaminated areas.

Project goals

To enhance civilian security and foster resilient communities by training football coaches in explosive ordnance risk education so they can provide essential education to at-risk young people.

Project content

  • Delivering 360 professionally run explosive ordnance risk education training sessions (known as Safe Soccer training sessions) in schools in areas affected by explosive remnants of war, reaching 7,000 at-risk young people.
  • Reaching 21,000 indirect beneficiaries via education and coaching workshops, word of mouth, local community tournaments, multimedia campaigns and the distribution of outreach materials.
  • Distributing 500 footballs and 10,050 Safe Soccer notebooks.
  • Holding one Safe Soccer festival per month in each of the three areas, delivering trauma‑informed football training to a group consisting of 40% girls, to deliver trauma-informed football training.
  • Organising six Safe Soccer tournaments throughout the year.

Partner

Girl Power, Leadership Academy & Refugee World Cup

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Copenhagen, Denmark
Start date 02/02/2026
End date 02/01/2027
Cost of the project €250,000
Foundation funding €51,000
Project identifier 2025001066
Partners Girl Power Organisation
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Girls and young women in Europe face numerous challenges that impact their mental health, and studies show that these challenges are even more prevalent among refugees, who are likely to suffer higher rates of depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. Another concern linked to mental health pressures is the rate at which girls from all walks of life drop out of sport during adolescence.

Research shows that approximately 49% of girls stop participating in sports activities in their teenage years. Self-doubt and lack of confidence are among the main reasons. Other factors are societal pressures, body image concerns, and inadequate access to programmes specifically for women and girls. Marginalised girls and young women, like migrants, refugees, and stateless women, face additional difficulties in accessing education and life-skills training due to the systemic structures in place and economic and language barriers.

Societal expectations around the role of women remain an issue, as do the financial constraints and lack of role models that deter girls from playing sport recreationally or professionally. There is a direct connection between sport and mental health: a lack of sufficient physical activity can lead to heightened levels of anxiety and depression, and conversely, engagement in organised sport contributes to better self-esteem, social support, and a sense of belonging. And yet 85% of adolescent girls in Europe don’t meet the levels of activity recommended by the World Health Organization.

Project goals

Girl Power Leadership Academy

  • Provide refugee and marginalised young women with access to coaching qualifications, including international exposure and mentorship
  • Support young leaders in finding real-life applications for the things they have learned during the programme
  • Provide young leaders with practical opportunities to make a difference in their communities, ensuring that the skills and knowledge acquired during the programme are effectively translated into tangible, positive outcomes for the benefit of the community and its younger generations in particular, reinforcing the importance of community leadership and the transformative power of sport
  • Create a geographically and socially diverse network of female sports leaders who understand and promote the importance of girls and women in sport and in local communities, and the impact they can have, and who work to give back to the community

 

Girl Power Refugee World Cup

  • Provide a space for young women in Europe to share their experiences and foster inclusion and integration through sport
  • Create a place where young women can put their skills into practice, as players, coaches, speakers, panellists, communicators, representatives, etc.
  • Showcase how football is driving positive change in communities

Project content

Our project introduces a groundbreaking, holistic model that merges five key pillars – physical activity, leadership education, mentorship, motivational storytelling and public speaking – into transformative activities.

We are launching a year-long, two-part youth leadership and coaching programme for 45 young refugee women in Denmark and other European countries where Girl Power is active. Future leaders will be aged 16 to 25 and selected based on their passion for sport and social change.

  1. Learning and development(six months)
    This phase includes residential, in-person training over five days, supported by expert sessions on safe coaching pathways in girls’ football. Focusing on how to create inclusive, secure and empowering environments where girls feel safe to join and stay in the game, participants will explore issues such as safeguarding, inclusive leadership and coaching methodologies tailored to marginalised communities.
  2. Practical football delivery(six months)
    During this phase, each young leader will form a local girls’ football team that includes refugees and marginalised girls from their community. With the support of Girl Power mentors, they will lead weekly training sessions while being guided in their coaching journeys.

In Denmark, we will continue our weekly football sessions in two refugee and asylum centres, supporting children aged 10 to 13 and 13 to 16-year-old girls’ teams. Additionally, we will collaborate with local schools to deliver storytelling workshops and cultural festivals at which girls from our leadership programme will co-lead activities, promoting community leadership, hands-on learning and the exchange of narratives to foster friendship and connection between refugee and host communities.

We will also organise a refugee football World Cup in Denmark – a unique seven-a-side tournament for teams featuring at least three refugee players and at least three host country citizens. There will be two teams from Denmark and one team from each of the other European countries in which Girl Power is currently active: Germany, Greece, Portugal and the UK. The tournament will feature not only competitive matches but also a podium and panel series, giving space for players and coaches to share their personal stories and show how football is driving positive change in their communities.

All activities throughout the year will be documented and shared on our media channels to amplify their impact and inspire broader action. We will also feature some role models and influential young people to amplify the programme's positive stories and overall impact.

Partner

Play It Forward

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Leuven, Belgium
Start date 02/01/2026
End date 05/31/2028
Cost of the project €122,600
Foundation funding €98,080
Project identifier 2025001931
Partners Football Girls Leuven
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Belgium has a strong football culture, yet participation remains highly unequal. Girls are still significantly underrepresented in football as in other areas, and the gap is even wider in urban, culturally diverse and lower-income areas.

In places like Leuven, a rapidly growing and highly diverse university town, many girls face persistent social, cultural, and practical barriers to accessing and staying in sport and other activities. While Leuven offers many sports opportunities, mainstream club structures often struggle to respond adequately to the realities of girls from migrant backgrounds and socially vulnerable families.

Limited financial means, mobility issues, gender stereotypes, and a lack of safe, welcoming spaces where girls can truly feel at home, be themselves, and belong limit participation and increase dropouts, especially when sport is organised along linear pathways that reward performance over belonging.

There is a growing need for socially driven sports initiatives that not only offer access but also foster social mixing, ownership, empowerment, and long-term engagement. Football Girls Leuven emerged within this context, responding to a strong local need for a safe, inclusive, girls-only football space rooted in the neighbourhood and everyday public space. The club has grown rapidly, reaching more than 240 girls, demonstrating both the demand for such an approach and the limits of a purely volunteer-driven structure.

Project goals

With Play It Forward, Football Girls Leuven seeks to strengthen the club and continue to break down structural barriers to football participation for girls in Leuven by means of a sustainable, girl-led model that combines sport, youth work, and social inclusion. The project is designed to ensure that girls from diverse backgrounds and in potentially vulnerable situations can not only access football but also stay engaged, develop ownership, and have a voice beyond the club, transforming the club and football into a sustainable tool for inclusion, empowerment, and structural change for girls in Leuven.

Specific project goals

  • Build a coherent, club-wide structure that connects access, anchored participation, ownership, and policy impact in a clear, circular pathway, through which girls can enter, engage, pause, and re-engage on their own terms
  • Increase access and reduce dropout rates by embedding support, accessibility, and inclusive practices into the club’s day-to-day operations
  • Strengthen girls’ ownership by integrating leadership, volunteering, and co-creation into club life
  • Professionalise coordination, monitoring, and partnerships to ensure continuity, quality, and long-term impact beyond the project period
  • Translate local practice into broader impact by sharing knowledge and influencing policy on inclusive, girl-friendly sport

Project content

Play It Forward comprises four pillars:

  • Pillar 1 – Access: Bringing football to girls in their daily environment through regular street football sessions, school partnerships and neighbourhood activities. These low-threshold initiatives are directly linked to the club through a buddy support system that ensures smooth, stigma-free entry into regular training. Public space activations make football and playgrounds more inclusive and girl-friendly.
  • Pillar 2 – Anchored participation: Embedding support structures within the club to help girls stay engaged over time and prevent dropouts, including a strengthened buddy system, accessible membership policies, mobility support (bicycle loan scheme and carpools) and a more permanent menstruation programme. A shared framework guides trainers and volunteers in creating safe, inclusive team environments.
  • Pillar 3 – Ownership: Creating structured pathways for girls to take on roles as volunteers, coaches or referees, supported by training, mentoring and leadership workshops. Co-creation and shared leadership are embedded in the teams and club life, strengthening girls’ ownership and voice.
  • Pillar 4 – Policy impact: Systematising impact monitoring, sharing good practices through local and national networks, and actively involving girls in advocacy around sport, youth work and public spaces.

To implement the pillars and pave a sustainable pathway, the project requires a dedicated professional project coordinator (working at 70% of a full-time position), whose role is to connect and coordinate the four pillars, build partnerships with schools and youth organisations, develop mobility and inclusion measures, and ensure monitoring, evaluation and long-term anchoring of the model within the club and beyond.

Partner

Aktive Jen Yo (Activating young people

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Rural Haiti, including Leogane, Destra, Carrefour Croix and Bossan
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €336,080
Foundation funding €55,657
Project identifier 2025000932
Partners Global Outreach And Love of Soccer (GOALS Haiti)
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Haiti is facing a prolonged, multidimensional crisis marked by widespread insecurity, economic collapse, and the near absence of public services. Gang violence, political instability, inflation exceeding 40%, food insecurity, and recurring health emergencies (including cholera outbreaks) have deeply affected daily life, particularly for children and young adults. While international attention focuses on urban centres, rural communities are often overlooked. In the areas where GOALS Haiti operates, there are no other youth services, access to education and healthcare is limited, and children have very few safe spaces to gather, learn or play.

These conditions place children and adolescents at heightened risk of trauma, poor health, school dropout, gender-based violence, and social isolation. Without positive alternatives, young people are increasingly vulnerable to negative coping mechanisms or forced migration to unsafe urban areas.

Project goals

  • Improve the health and well-being of children and young adults in rural Haiti by ensuring regular access to safe sport, play, health education, and nutrition in communities where no other youth services exist
  • Expand access to education and learning opportunities for underserved young people by reducing barriers to schooling and strengthening literacy, academic skills and life skills through integrated sport-based programming
  • Help young people to develop confidence, leadership skills, and positive life pathways so that they can make informed decisions, contribute to their communities, and shape their own futures
  • Promote gender equality and inclusion through sport and education by ensuring girls and boys participate equally and by creating leadership opportunities for girls and young women
  • Strengthen community cohesion and youth civic engagement by engaging young people in community service and environmental action that improves local conditions, and fosters shared responsibility

 

Project content

Aktive Jen Yo is built around daily football and inclusive purposeful play sessions that provide children and adolescents with safe, consistent spaces where they regain a sense of normalcy and learn teamwork, discipline, communication and respect. The sessions are intentionally designed to include girls and boys equally and to model positive social norms through play.

Alongside sport, the project delivers integrated education and life-skills programming. Young people participate in literacy classes, tutoring and school support to strengthen reading, numeracy and critical thinking skills. Life-skills education – including leadership, problem-solving, conflict resolution, gender equality and decision-making – is embedded within both classroom sessions and on-field activities, reinforcing learning through practical experience.

Health education is a core component: trained staff and partners lead sessions on hygiene, disease prevention, sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence awareness. Participants also receive a daily meal and access to clean drinking water during activities, supporting their physical health and concentration while reinforcing healthy habits.

The project places a strong emphasis on youth leadership, community service and environmental action. Young people take part in leadership workshops and lead community projects addressing local needs, such as tree planting, recycling initiatives and maintaining community gardens. These activities encourage civic responsibility, strengthen community ties and give the youngsters visible roles as contributors and leaders within their villages.

All activities are delivered by a locally led team of trained coaches, educators and community leaders, ensuring cultural relevance and responding to community needs. Regular monitoring, feedback from participants and community involvement guide ongoing adaptations and improvements to the activities provided.

 

Partner

Championing an Inclusive Future through Football 2.0

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Germany, Hongary, Spain
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 12/31/2027
Cost of the project €260,544
Foundation funding €260,544
Project identifier 20245000
Partners FedEx
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment

Context

As an official sponsor of the UEFA Champions League during the 2021–2024 cycle, FedEx extended its commitment beyond commercial sponsorship to include a robust social responsibility programme. This initiative spotlighted key social issues in the host cities of the UEFA Champions League finals: Paris in 2022, Istanbul in 2023, and London in 2024. Through the Championing an Inclusive Future through Football programme, FedEx provided financial support to non-profit organisations that use football as a platform to promote inclusivity and social cohesion within local communities.

Building on this success, FedEx will continue its engagement for the 2025–2027 cycle, supporting projects in the UEFA Champions League final host cities: Munich in 2025, Budapest in 2026, and Madrid in 2027. This renewed commitment underscores FedEx’s dedication to creating lasting social impact through sport.

2025

SCORING GIRLS* was founded in 2016 by former professional footballer Tugba Tekkal with the mission to empower girls* through football. While the work begins on the pitch, it goes far beyond sport, rooted in a strong pedagogical concept. The approach integrates five key competence areas—Teamwork, Self-efficacy, Resilience, Body Positivity, and Social Participation—into football training and educational activities.

Through this, participants not only enhance their athletic skills but also strengthen confidence, resilience, and personal development.

The target group includes girls* aged 8–18, with and without refugee or migration backgrounds, most coming from marginalised communities. SCORING GIRLS* currently operates at three sites in Cologne and four in Berlin, and in 2025 expanded to Munich in partnership with FC Bayern München.

2026

 

Project goals

2025

SCORING GIRLS*

  • Promote social participation and equal opportunities for girls
  • Build a strong, inclusive community and give visibility to strong role models
  • Empower girls* through competence development and mentoring for personal growth and responsibility.

 

Project content

2025

SCORING GIRLS*

Weekly Football Training

Core activity: weekly football sessions led by coaches and pedagogical staff. Training blends fun, education, and football to build confidence, resilience, responsibility, and teamwork. Feedback follows each session. Experienced girls (17 and older) act as peer mentors, fostering collaboration and role modelling.

Educational Activities

Beyond training, we offer vacation programs with matches, excursions, and workshops, as well as year-round tournaments and dialogues with inspiring figures from politics, media, culture, and sports.

Mentoring Programme

Launching in 2025: SCORING GIRLS* mentoring initiative with support from high-profile ambassadors (e.g., Nikeata Thompson, Fabian Reese, Lena Oberdorf) to enhance visibility and provide strong role models.

Public Relations & Networking

We actively promote SCORING GIRLS* to raise awareness and engage participants in advocacy, leveraging high-reach partners for stronger community impact.

Use of the FedEx/UEFA Foundation Grant

  • Infrastructure for the new Munich location
  • Staff and trainers
  • Transport costs
  • Events and workshops

Partners

FedEx_UEFA Champions_Lockup_Hor Pos RGB

Sports for Behaviour Change

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Newham, London, United Kingdom
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 12/31/2026
Cost of the project €53,795
Foundation funding €39,731
Project identifier 2024001521
Partners Fight for Peace International
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Newham’s young people face significant challenges, including high levels of poverty, exposure to violence and poor physical and mental health. Activity levels among children are low, childhood obesity is rising, and support services are overstretched. Statutory funding for youth organisations has stopped, while underemployment and low qualification levels among young people persist. The need for safe spaces, trusted mentors and positive opportunities has never been more urgent.

Project goals

Using sport as a catalyst for personal development and growth, the project motivates young people to improve their relationships, their self-image and perception of others and their vision for the future. Fight for Peace International will help participants to feel fitter, safer, less lonely and more confident. Coaches act as trusted mentors, and young people are encouraged to make better choices, try harder at school, set and achieve personal goals and interact with people from diverse backgrounds.

Project content

  • Fitness: inclusive boxing and martial art sessions for all abilities, including sessions for children aged 7 to 14, women and disabled and neurodivergent young people
  • Education: homework club and intervention programmes for at-risk young people
  • Employability: training, guidance and qualification support to build skills and encourage career progression
  • Youth leadership: weekly youth council meetings shaping the organisation’s work and decisions
  • Support services: one-to-one and group mentoring, including gender-specific support groups

Partner