Football versus Discrimination

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Ireland
Start date 01/01/2023
End date 12/31/2023
Cost of the project €108,000,00
Foundation funding €54,000,00
Project identifier 20221197
Partners Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Ireland has been under international scrutiny as a country that is failing to meet its international human rights obligations to tackle racism and discrimination. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, the Council of Europe and the Irish Network Against Racism have all highlighted Ireland’s shortcomings: the country has an above-average number of incidents of discrimination and racist violence.

Project goals

  • Increase mutual understanding between children and young people from diverse ethnic backgrounds
  • Help combat racism and xenophobia
  • Promote the integration of immigrants into Irish schools and society
  • Promote gender equality in sport and society
  • Introduce children to the concept of human rights

Project content

Football versus Discrimination is a 75-minute interactive workshop using football as a tool to address issues of discrimination such as racism, sexism, ableism and homophobia.

  • Children learn about forms of discrimination by playing football.
  • Role-playing games are used to identify and experience how it feels to discriminate and to be discriminated against.
  • Games of fair play football (football3) are played in which participants take responsibility for their own actions. There are no referees and players are encouraged to set their own rules and resolve disagreements through dialogue.
  • In the days following the workshop, participants complete an in-class questionnaire reflecting on what they have learned.

Partner

League of Fair-Play Football

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Prague, Usti nad Labem, Pilsen, Olomouc, Karlovy Vary, Brno, Liberec - Czechia
Start date 12/01/2022
End date 12/31/2024
Cost of the project €236,164
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 20220231
Partners INEX association for voluntary activities
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

Recent reports have shown that there are significant inequalities in access to a decent education in Czechia. These inequalities only grew during the COVID-19 pandemic as the result of extended school closures and a lack of support and access to online technologies at home, e.g. parental illiteracy, lack of access to computers and a reliable internet connection. The region of Czechia where a child is born plays a major role in their future success. In regions with a high poverty rate, children are less likely to receive a good education and enrol on after-school programmes. They often have to deal with youth and parental violence, petty crime, addiction, poor health, mental stress, discrimination and financial pressure. Our project targets children in these regions with an approach that combines the health benefits of football with educational added value.

Project goals

  1. Increase free, meaningful, healthy access to sports activities and facilities for children who can’t afford it
  2. Increase social cohesion among young people who face social isolation
  3. Improve the sense of achievement and success among children who are discriminated against and who are accustomed to experiencing failure
  4. Address deficiencies in the quality of education of children living in disadvantaged regions of Czechia
  5. Provide vulnerable children with a meaningful after-school programme focused on their development

Project content

This project introduces the League of Fair-Play Football (LFF) to various regions of Czechia. The league offers a platform for positive socialisation through a year of activities for children who lack access to quality education and sports activities. LFF uses football to attract, motivate, empower and develop young people who are exposed to social failure due to their economic status, family situation, social environment or ethnic background. LFF provides children with an opportunity for constructive emancipation in an inclusive, safe, mentored environment, free of any charge.

Partners

OM workbook

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Marseille, France
Start date 07/01/2022
End date 06/30/2023
Cost of the project €50,000
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 20220270
Partners OM Fondation
Categories Personal development

Context

Marseille is a city noted for its significant social inequalities and high dropout rate among school pupils.

Project goals

  1.  Offer unique, high-quality support to all 9-10 year-old schoolchildren in Marseille and their teachers
  2. Counter the school dropout rate by harnessing the image and attractiveness of Olympique de Marseille football club, making use of the club’s infrastructure and involving the players
  3. Develop a sense of belonging to a broader community
  4. Create an appetite for doing sport by employing innovative techniques
  5. Promote the values of sport and social cohesion
  6. Promote diversity through the use of illustrations showing girl and boy characters

Project content

The Cahier des Olympiens project offers an effective, innovative way to combat these problems by providing a freely available, high-quality, fun workbook. On the recommendation of the Académie d'Aix-Marseille (a project partner), the workbook focuses on a pivotal year in children’s education: CM1, the start of the third cycle of the French education system (ages 9–11). It is at these ages that initial problems often arise.

The book can be used in class at the teacher’s request or at home, including during holidays, especially by families who could not afford to purchase these materials.

The book presents a wealth of valuable content. Numerous references to Olympique de Marseille (illustrations, photos, exercises, etc.) reinforce the publication’s attractiveness and usefulness.

Not only does the project distribute the extracurricular workbook to all Marseille’s state and private schools at the start of the school year, it also reinforces the teaching tool through meetings and constructive exchanges with professional players throughout the season in video conferences in which a player meets a class to encourage work on oral expression. The close links between the club and schools make the workbook highly attractive to students and more likely to be used properly.

Partners

Deporte por Refugio – Sport as Shelter

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Sevilla, Spain
Start date 02/15/2023
End date 02/15/2024
Cost of the project €300,177,08
Foundation funding €203,165,00
Project identifier 20220760
Partners Fundación Grande Valores
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Personal development

Context

Four of the ten poorest districts in Spain are located in the city of Seville, with 38.6% of the children at risk or enduring alarming levels of poverty and social exclusion. In addition, a significant migrant population is concentrated in these districts and faces problems of exclusion and segregation. This situation, along with inequality and unemployment, causes various family problems that have a major impact on childhood education and development.

Project goals

  1. Promote the inclusion, education and well-being of children and young people from refugee backgrounds and local communities in Seville.
  • Increase children's sense of belonging and participation in the community
  • Reduce children's gender and intercultural prejudices
  • Train young refugees in Sport for Development methodology
  • Build resilience by teaching children about life skills
  1. Raise awareness about the inclusion of people in vulnerable situations through sports in schools.

Project content

The Deporte por Refugio project had a great impact in its first year. Now, in this second year, the mission is to promote the well-being and inclusion of children, young people and families in vulnerable communities and with migrant and refugee backgrounds in Seville. The message that we want to deliver to society through this project is that football can transform the lives and prospects of children and refugees. The project is supported by UNCHR, UNICEF, the Spanish Government and the Seville city authorities.

Partner

Blind Solidarity

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Bamako, Mali
Start date 01/01/2023
End date 12/31/2023
Cost of the project €60,000
Foundation funding €45000
Project identifier 20220995
Partners Libre Vue and Union Malienne des Aveugles
Categories Access to Sport - Children with disabilities - Employability - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

The Institut des Jeunes Aveugles in Bamako is a school for 250 children with visual impairments who live and pursue their studies in very precarious conditions. Libre Vue has delivered its blind football programme to these children since 2012. The programme consists of football adapted to visually impaired players, thereby promoting access to sport and contributing to personal development, health and inclusion.

Project goals

Our goal is to offer high-quality coaching, motivate even more young people and train coaches, guides and educators. We want to create a policy that promotes access to blind football for girls and offers them significant practice sessions. We also want to set up a sports canteen. In order to better communicate and sell artistic photographs (a source of funding for Libre Vue) we need to update our promotional film and organise new exhibitions.

Project content

Organise local and international training.

Create a ‘women's’ policy with the staff and players with regards to families and the school.

Install a canteen/bar next to the pitch (renovate old changing room hut).

Create images: produce (local) videos to update our promotional film, take photographs, organise new exhibitions, provide prints for our online Solidarity Boutique and produce impactful communication materials.

Partner

Sports facilities for children and young people

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Switzerland
Start date 01/01/2023
End date Ongoing
Cost of the project €6,489,800
Foundation funding €60,000
Project identifier 20220216
Partners Fondation IdéeSport
Categories Access to Sport - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

The projects promoted by Fondation IdéeSport respond to three alarming realities of modern life experienced by children, teenagers and families: physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles, the excessive use of social media, and the difficulty and expense of accessing sports facilities. The healthy development of young people is dependent on opportunities to play sport. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its lockdowns and closures of sports facilities, has heightened the urgency of the situation.

Project goals

The project focuses on children and teenagers from all social backgrounds, irrespective of their gender, social status, ethnic origin or sporting skills. The programmes are offered free of charge and actively contribute to integrating children and young people, especially those who have experienced migration. Sport is used as a way to promote health and an active lifestyle and also prevent addiction while working towards set objectives.

Project content

Fondation IdéeSport promotes healthy lifestyles for children and teenagers through its three programmes, offering places to socialise and weekend activities at community sports facilities. The foundation’s projects are aimed at all ages, with MidnightSports and EverFresh programmes for teenagers, OpenSunday for primary-age children and MiniMove for young children accompanied by their parents.

Partners

Sport for Inclusion: Football Against Racism

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Tunis, Sousse, Sfax and Zarzis, Tunisia
Start date 02/01/2023
End date Ongoing
Cost of the project €150,000
Foundation funding €150,000
Project identifier 20221075
Partners OIM Tunisia
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development - Strengthening partnerships

Context

Tunisia is facing economic and social challenges that have significant repercussions for its population, in particular children, young people and marginalised groups, including women and migrant communities. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated socioeconomic conditions, contributing to rising frustration in the country and tensions between migrants and their host communities.

When the discrimination and exclusion experienced by migrant populations in Tunisia, particularly those from sub-Saharan Africa, are added to this situation, it can be seen that there is a need to promote social inclusion, tolerance and diversity within the migrant and host communities. Using sport as a vehicle for change, an activity that increases the participation of children and women, this project aims to encourage and facilitate social inclusion between migrant and host communities in five cities in Tunisia .

Building on the pilot project “Sport for Inclusion: Football Against Racism”, this project aims to extend its reach to marginalized communities to participate in sports activities and to develop coordination and collaboration with stakeholders. governmental and non-governmental to ensure safe and inclusive communities in Tunisia.

Project goals

Reinforce the social inclusion of migrant and local populations in Tunisia in accordance with international law and standards on migration and human rights.

Project content

Building on the pilot project, Sport for Inclusion: Football against Racism, this project aims to extend the scope to marginalised communities so that they can participate in sports activities. It also seeks to further its coordination and collaboration with both governmental and non-governmental actors to promote safe, inclusive communities in Tunisia.

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the improvement of social inclusion between migrant and host communities. This is especially the case for women and children, and is achieved by enabling local and national actors to provide educational services through sport and other recreational activities. This approach facilitates social integration, provides training and raises the awareness of tolerance, inclusion and the fight against discrimination among the broader community. The project will build on a pilot initiative in the cities of Sfax, Sousse, Tunis and Zarzis and will include gender considerations in all aspects of the programme’s design and implementation, evaluating the unique challenges and opportunities for women and children to participate in sport as a means of empowerment and to build self-esteem.

The project's approach is based on the theory of intergroup contact, adopted by IOM around the world, including IOM Tunisia, to promote social cohesion. Intergroup contact theory states that when people from different origins meet and mix in the appropriate circumstances, trust increases and prejudices decrease among the participants. This method, taken from the field of social psychology, was first put forward by Robin Williams in 1947 and has subsequently been supported and developed by other researchers. There is now an enormous amount of empirical evidence that, under the right conditions, positive contacts between individuals from different groups in society are likely to improve relations between those groups. The project is anchored in this approach and will also use a proven methodology to evaluate the initiative’s impact.

Partners

Stay at school as long as possible

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Yoto, Togo
Start date 12/01/2022
End date 11/30/2024
Cost of the project €80,000
Foundation funding €35,000
Project identifier 20220058
Partners C.I.E.LO – Coopération Internationale pour les Equilibres Locaux
Categories Access to Sport - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

Togo is one of the poorest 25 countries in the world according to the UN ranking, yet parents in a rural area managed to set up the AMOUSSIMÉ 2 general school in 2019. The state recognised the establishment in 2021. The school welcomed 107 new students from several villages for the start of the 2022-2023 school year, 48% of whom are girls. However, the school’s four classes (first to fourth years of secondary school) gather in straw huts with roofs that leak in the rainy season. There are not enough desks, the blackboards are in poor condition, none of the seven teachers has a table or chair and there are no toilets or sports facilities; all of this hinders learning.

Project goals

  • Improve the infrastructure of secondary schools in Togo.
  • Improve conditions for teachers and optimise learning for students.
  • Upgrade the sanitation facilities
  • Strengthen teaching activities and sport in particular
  • Improve the local economy by employing the services of local businesses
  • Expand and promote the activities of the Togolese association APMRPD, a CIELO partner

Project content

The project will support the AMOUSSIMÉ 2 school by building four new classrooms. Each of these will be equipped with 20 double desks, a teacher’s table and two blackboards. A sand sports pitch will be constructed, with football goals and volleyball posts. Equipment for 30 educational games and 10 sports games will be supplied as well as 20 musical instruments. Teachers will be given additional training by four specialised support workers. A toilet block will be constructed.

Partners

“Prishtina” Girls’ football team

Location and general information

Closed
Location Kosovo
Start date 01/01/2023
End date 12/31/2023
Cost of the project €55,350
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 20221234
Partners KFV Prishtina
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Personal development

Context

While there is no longer violent conflict in Kosovo, there is still mistrust among the many communities. These communities remain largely divided geographically, culturally and politically; the divides prevent many, and younger people in particular, from contemplating mutual efforts to build a shared social platform.

Women generally do sport in Kosovo, but few young women and girls play football. Those who do so face significant gender stereotyping, gender barriers and other issues including sexual harassment.

However, there is an opportunity to increase the number of young women and girls playing football in Kosovo. Sport is considered a driver of social change and community development and a tool for fostering peace and understanding. This project intends to demonstrate how football is a powerful instrument to strengthen social ties and promote peace, tolerance, solidarity and understanding, while increasing the number of women and girls actively involved in sport.

Project goals

  • Increase the number of women and girls playing football in Kosovo
  • Harness the power of football to promote sustainable, peaceful relations among girls in all communities in Kosovo
  • Establish girls’ football teams in schools in coordination with municipal sports and education departments
  • Design a local communication strategy to empower women and girls through football
  • Promote gender equality in football to break down barriers and stereotypes
  • Improve the leadership, communication and teamwork skills of the participating girls in different communities
  • Promote togetherness and the benefits of sport for mental health
  • Promote sustainable development goals through joint activities and mentoring sessions

Project content

The Prishtina Girls’ Football Team project provides a safe platform for girls to play football and promotes gender equality. The main focus of the project is to increase the number of women and girls playing football, thereby facilitating trust and tolerance between the various ethnic communities in Kosovo. This is achieved by organising matches and tournaments, with women and girls from all communities playing in mixed teams, including those with disabilities and those from rural areas and living in SOS Kindergartens, together with players already registered with the team.

Training on the UEFA Child Safeguarding Policy will be given to physical education teachers and the project’s community coordinators.

Awareness-raising activities

  • Screening videos on a variety of subjects, including preventing bullying and gender stereotyping in football, promoting children’s rights and the role of sport in diversity, development and constructing peace
  • Marking international advocacy days such as Children’s Day and the International Day for Development and Peace with joint tournaments
  • Promoting a football tournament in Brezovica to bring various ethnic communities together to play and communicate through the language of football

The next step after setting up girls’ teams is to establish a primary school league in Prishtina in conjunction with the municipality department of sports.

Partner

Score for Education Phase 2

Location and general information

Closed
Location Albania
Start date 01/01/2023
End date 12/31/2023
Cost of the project €201,141
Foundation funding €129,931
Project identifier 20220339
Partners Save the Children
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Many schools in Albania are not able to implement the official physical education curriculum due to a lack of facilities and materials. Only 8% of girls and 22% of boys aged 15 are involved in daily physical activities. Gender norms prevent girls from participating in sport. Furthermore, bullying, harassment and abuse are outstanding challenges. Together with the foundation, Save the Children is tackling these issues by scaling up the Score for Education project.

Project goals

The overall goal is for schools and communities to promote healthy lifestyles and holistic development through sports activities, leaving no child behind. The approaches to achieving this goal include:

    1. Providing quality sports facilities and activities for the children of five schools
    2. Encouraging teachers to use sport to promote respect, equality and inclusion
    3. Supporting children, parents and communities to show increased awareness of inclusion, social acceptance and equality

Project content

Score for Education phase 2 contributes to better school environments, in this way promoting healthy lifestyles and allowing children to achieve their full potential. While continuing its activities in the three urban schools supported in phase 1, the project will be extended to two rural schools. This second phase integrates the lessons learned from previous projects, such as introducing activities that tackle bullying. It will also add other sports (e.g. volleyball) based on feedback received from girls. In total, 1,104 children will be reached directly. Activities will include:

  • Establishing and supporting mini sports clubs for girls and boys offering a variety of sports activities
  • Organising a football championship
  • Renovating and improving the sports facilities at two rural schools
  • Building the capacity of PE teachers with regard to techniques to nurture life skills through sport

Workshops with parents and children on the benefits of sport for a healthy lifestyle.

Partner

Educafoot

Location and general information

En cours
Location Bassam, Diabo and Adiaké, Ivory Coast
Start date 12/16/2022
End date 12/31/2023
Cost of the project €60,000
Foundation funding €30,000
Project identifier 20220061
Partners Association Kenskoazell Afrika (AKA)
Categories Access to Sport - Environmental protection - Gender Equality - Healthy lifestyle - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

National/regional context

The lack of sports facilities in schools in Bassam, Diabo and Adiaké prevents children, especially girls, from regularly practising sport.

Project goals

The Educafoot project uses sport, and football in particular, to help children flourish and become well-rounded members of society. It relies on a toolkit to achieve various objectives. It seeks to address issues such as gender equality and access to sport. It also aims to teach children about the environment and instil in them sporting values such as perseverance, pushing oneself, the importance of community, and respect for the rules and for their opponents. The idea is to enhance the children’s mental and physical well-being. The main thrust of the project is to equip 15 schools a year for four years and enable thousands of children to join Educafoot.

 

Project content / details

The programme is centred around a year-long inter-school tournament, featuring challenges in three subjects: maths, French (dictation) and physical education (PE), with a focus on football. Up to three points are available in each event, and the team that gets the most points overall is the winner. All of the teams are mixed and refereeing is done by both girls and boys. The tournament concludes with a grand final.

The tournament is an opportunity to teach children about:

  • diversity;
  • teamwork;
  • refereeing, which involves leadership and decision-making;
  • the environment, through a film screening and discussion, an activity involving making a net out of plastic waste, and cleaning the school before each game;
  • the captain’s role.

Partner

Football for Gender Equality India

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location India
Start date 01/01/2022
End date Ongoing
Cost of the project €100000
Foundation funding €30000
Project identifier 20210418
Partners Asian Football Confederation and All India Football Federation
Categories Access to Sport - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Girls in India face a number of significant challenges including discrimination, exclusion and inequalities in education, health care and access to sport. According to UNICEF over 20% of girls aged 15-19 experience physical violence. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these issues for girls. Sport is a powerful vehicle to promote inclusion and meaningful participation from both genders. There is, however, limited knowledge among instructors around gender equality and safeguarding practices.

Project goals

  • Promote girls’ participation in football to alter stereotypes and social roles
  • Provide education, motivating the children to continue to study
  • Protect the children’s rights and integrate them into society
  • Empower young people from disadvantaged communities to use football as a tool for progress

Project content

As future community leaders, children and youth are critical to building stronger healthier communities and nations. This program aims to change the attitudes and perceptions among over 10,000 children and young people in India to ensure gender equality and reduce violence against girls. Along with the direct beneficiaries our programmes have shown that these children become advocates and leaders in their families and communities, promoting broader social change. This program will also deliver training and coaching to over 1,000 youth instructors and develop enduring support structures to ensure that football is accessible and safely delivered now and for generations to come.

Partners

Championing an Inclusive Future through Football

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location France, Turkey, England
Start date 05/01/2022
End date 06/01/2024
Cost of the project €340,000
Foundation funding €-
Project identifier 20211111
Partners FedEx Corp
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

FedEx was the first corporate partner to work with the foundation in 2016. This collaboration began with the funding of artificial turf community football pitches, known as a ‘Field in a Box’, in communities in Brazil, Poland, South Africa and Spain. Since then, the collaboration has matured to focus on using football as a tool to address social challenges and improve lives in a more sustainable way.

A sponsor of the UEFA Champions League for the 2021–24 cycle, FedEx’s support extends to its social responsibility programme, as it highlights the social challenges faced by the host countries of the UEFA Champions League finals: Paris in 2022, Istanbul in 2023 and London in 2024.

Project content

The Championing an Inclusive Future through Football programme runs alongside FedEx’s sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League and involves offering financial support to non-profit organisations using football as a tool to promote inclusiveness among communities in cities where the finals are held. The organisations and activities supported are described below.

Paris

The charity Sport dans la Ville (SDLV)S runs a programme called ‘L dans la Ville’ supporting the needs and career aspirations of underserved girls over the age of 10 and young women.

Istanbul

Turkey-based Bonyan Organization works with disadvantaged communities hosting a high number of refugees in Istanbul, as well as in the city of Mardin, close to the Syrian border.

London

Kick It Out’s Coach Pathway invites men and women of Black and Asian descent to take part in a mentoring programme that will support their development as coaches..

Objectives

SDLV’s programme in Paris will reach more than 2,000 girls and aims to:

  • empower them through sports practice, events and trips;
  • increase access to employment;
  • prepare them to become leaders;
  • raise awareness of gender stereotypes.

 

Bonyan Organization’s project in Istanbul and Mardin promotes well-being, social cohesion and safety among refugees and their host communities by leveraging the power of football and sports to foster peaceful coexistence. The project will target 4,000 children representing different ethnicities and regions, with an even split of Turkish and refugee children and of boys and girls. Children with special needs will also be included. The project aims to:

  • increase access to existing sports facilities for both Turkish and refugee children;
  • support Turkish schools so that they are able to host refugee students;
  • enhance the soft skills (life skills, leadership, conflict resolution, etc.) of the children and their sports coaches;
  • help physical education teachers to adopt a ‘football3’ mindset in relation to their classroom assignments with a view to launching future initiatives themselves;
  • enhance gender sensitivity and the engagement of girls in sports activities, particularly football;
  • promote the inclusion of children with special needs in sports activities, particularly football;
  • create opportunities for the integration of Turkish people and refugees through sports;
  • increase access to Turkey’s existing Child Protection Communities for both Turkish and refugee children.

 

The aim of Kick It Out is to create pathways for groups that are under-represented in football to help diversify the talent pool. The organisation calls on its many contacts in the Premier League, the English Football League, The FA, the Professional Footballers’ Association and the national squads to offer the 15 selected participants:

    • the skills they need to enhance their coaching talent;
    • access to mentors;
    • coach observation opportunities;
    • placement opportunities;
    • personal coach development.

Project activities

SDLV creates a close relationship with young girls through sports and cultural activities just for them.

  • Regular sessions open only to girls, giving them the chance them to have fun, talk to other girls in the neighbourhood and improve their playing in a safe environment
  • The Discovery programme, offering cultural and sporting outings for girls as young as six as well as visits from professional women with inspiring stories for those aged 10 to 25 to encourage them to pursue careers
  • Individual follow-up sessions for each participant and advice on how to achieve their professional objectives

 

Activities with Bonyan Organization take place across two cities.

  • Rehabilitating school football fields (two in Istanbul and two in Mardin)
  • Distributing sport kits and football3 guidelines (ten schools in Istanbul and 15 in Mardin)
  • Teacher training on football3 and sports for children (50 teachers in Mardin)
  • Training youth volunteers to play an active role in their communities (ten volunteers in Istanbul and 20 in Mardin)
  • Football3 matches (30 matches in Istanbul with 90 participants each and 50 matches in Mardin with 150 participants each)

 

Kick It Out takes up to 15 coaches on a journey of development through specially arranged opportunities with senior coaching representatives from English football.

  • Coach observation opportunities at Premier League and English Football League clubs
  • Insight into the organisation of England’s national men’s and women’s teams, with a visit to St George’s Park
  • Individual coach mentors offering personalised, one-to-one support
  • Access to coaching development courses
  • Priority invitation to Kick It Out Raise Your Game events, whose learning outcomes are uniquely focused on coach development
  • Opportunities for placements in the industry
  • Successful candidates take part in Kick It Out’s monitoring and evaluation tracking scheme

Partners

Kick for Hope

Location and general information

Closed
Location Jordan
Start date 01/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €375,000
Foundation funding €175,000
Project identifier 20210680
Partners AFDP Global
Categories Access to Sport - Conflict victims - Employability - Gender Equality - Infrastructure and equipment - Personal development

Context

AFDP Global and UEFA started the Zaatari Kick for Hope project in 2012 to help Syrian refugees displaced by the conflict in Syria, particularly children in the refugee camp of Zaatari, by providing football activities, training courses, infrastructure support and life skills programmes. The UEFA Foundation for Children continued to provide financial and infrastructure support from 2015 and extended the support to Azraq camp. The Zaatari and Azraq projects were combined in 2021.

Project content

AFDP Global provides weekly sporting activities for displaced Syrian boys and girls, ensuring a fun and safe environment for training and competitive activities, including football, judo, Zumba, and table tennis. The project continues to support the Syrian coaching and management team established at the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps. Sport is used to raise awareness of social issues and impart the life skills necessary in that context. Continuous training for skills development is also provided. The youngsters are supervised by appropriate role models.

Objectives

  • Engaging Syrian children and teenagers

Provide football and other sports activities in an appropriate, safe and supervised environment, allowing children to enjoy their childhood. In addition to playing and spending time together, the youngsters will learn football skills and the fundamental values of sport, such as respect, fair play, team spirit and solidarity. They will also be educated on specific social issues.

  • Training Syrian football coaches and referees

Provide training for Syrian refugees on how to run football coaching sessions, equipping them with the skills to manage a league and run football clubs, with specific classes on refereeing.

  • Integrating a life skills curriculum

Teach coaches how to apply the values of sport to facilitate children’s personal development and raise their awareness of certain social issues, paying particular attention to conflict resolution, early marriage, birth control and the importance of schooling, health, hygiene and well-being.

  • Maintaining established football clubs and league

Support administrators and coaches, ensuring that they have the ability to maintain the football clubs and league set up by the project in previous years.

Project activities

  • Infrastructure and training materials

    In cooperation with AFDP Global, the UEFA foundation has contributed to the construction of a sports centre. Known as the House of Sport, it is a place for social activities and a safe environment where youngsters can have fun and make friends, especially the ones who are interested in football.

    • Since the start of the project, more than 20,000 footballs, 20,000 T-shirts, caps and backpacks, 5,000 pairs of shoes and 1,000 training kits (cones, plates, bibs, stopwatches, whistles, etc.) have been distributed for sports activities.
    • 1,000 snacks and 2,000 bottles of water are distributed at each tournament.
    • The coaches have also been fully
    • The two main pitches used for tournaments have been upgraded to artificial turf and are fully equipped for football matches.
    • Eleven containers of various supplies (sportswear, balls, ) have been provided by the UEFA foundation.

     

    Football pitch

    Pursuing the aim of providing a safe environment for the beneficiaries of the project, the UEFA foundation, in cooperation with AFDP Global and the Jordanian Football Association, contributed to the conversion to artificial turf of a full-size football pitch (in 2017) and a small pitch for girls (in 2018), with the financial support of LAY’S in addition to a small pitch in Azraq Camp.

    Figures (2021)

    • Some 305 adult refugees – including 102 women and 203 men – have already benefited from the coaching education financed by the Twenty-seven of these coaches are currently working for the project and the others for other non-governmental organisations in the camp.
    • Experts appointed by the UEFA foundation and AFDP Global have already run workshops on refereeing, trauma recovery, sport as a tool for social cohesion, early marriage and conflict resolution. Some 54 referees have been trained, 21 of whom are women.
    • Around 5,600 children and young people – boys and girls – take part in the weekly sports activities and monthly football tournaments supervised by qualified male and female educators. This peaked at 7,137 young Syrians in October 2019 – 4,947 boys and 2,190 girls

    aged between 8 and 20. Numbers were expected to increase in the summer of 2020, but due to the COVID19, AFDP Global ceased all activities for children due to a government enforced lockdown in the camps. Activities were resumed in September 2021

    • Monthly football tournaments are organised in the camps for the under-13, under-15 and under-20 age groups. An average of 1,000 children and young people aged 8 to 20, including 300 girls, take part in the monthly The highest number of participants was 1,580 in March 2019.
    • Monthly events are organised for under-8s, with an average of 100 children taking part.
    • Men’s teams can use the field for two hours per
    • Apart from football, other sports and activities are organised. Some 340 boys regularly do judo (under-13 and under-15), over 180 boys and girls take part in table tennis activities (under-13 and under-15), and 300 girls take Zumba classes.

Expected results

  • Coaching and football activities to be organised for a total of 2,800 boys and 1,800 girls between the ages of 8 and 20.
  • Monthly football tournaments to be organised in the camp, with an average of 1,000 participants aged 8 to 20, including 300 girls.
  • More than 18 men’s teams to be provided with the facilities to play football daily and tournaments to be organised for
  • Other daily sports and other activities to be organised, providing the beneficiaries with a greater diversity of activities, including judo, table tennis and Zumba.
  • A team of 22 male and 22 female staff to be They will use sport, and football in particular, as a tool for social cohesion and conflict resolution, and will be responsible for managing teams for the different age groups.
  • External events to be organised, boosting social impact through awareness and increased friendship-building opportunities.

Partner

Open Fun Football Schools – Iraq

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Iraq
Start date 03/01/2022
End date 12/31/2022
Cost of the project €100,000
Foundation funding €100,000
Project identifier 20211041
Partners Cross Cultures
Categories Access to Sport - Personal development

Context

Iraq is a fragile country suffering from decades of war, violent uprisings, sectarian conflicts, tyranny and rampant corruption. In addition, the poverty rate is estimated to be 27%, the youth unemployment rate is 36%, female participation in the workforce is just 13%, and more than 3.2 million children are out of school. Iraq's stability, social cohesion and future prosperity cannot be improved without giving the young generation better life opportunities and a collective voice in political, civic and social life.

Project content

The purpose of this project is to bring an updated version of Cross Cultures’ successful Open Fun Football Schools (OFFS) concept to Iraq, with an additional focus on strengthening the resilience of young voluntary coaches and children by paying special attention to the beneficiaries' education and employability.

The project uses Cross Cultures’ Youth Leadership Education initiative as a platform to mobilise and empower a network of young people as OFFS Coaches and Youth Leaders. The aims of the social and civic activities undertaken are as follows:

  1. Help at-risk children to stay in school or return to school.
  2. Provide the young coaches and leaders with a platform and an "anchor" in their local community with a view to enhancing their resilience, employability and life opportunities.

Objectives

  • To mobilise and empower a network of young people and enhance their capacity to use OFFS and other self-organised social football activities as a platform for their voluntary social and civic commitment.
  • To facilitate child protection activities for at-risk children and help them to stay in school or return to school. These activities include OFFS, other social football activities, teaching of relevant life skills and non-formal schooling.

 

Project activities

  • Train 60 young people as OFFS leaders and coaches.
  • OFFS leaders and coaches organise OFFS, Fun Festivals and FSR activities for 1,000 children aged 6–12 years old. At least 50% of the participants must be unschooled and 40% must be girls.
  • OFFS leaders facilitate the teaching of essential life skills to at-risk children.
  • Train OFFS leaders in social entrepreneurship and civil society organisation.

Expected results

  • 60 young OFFS leaders and coaches are empowered as Youth Leaders and gain the knowledge and skills to use OFFS in the best interests of vulnerable children while also enhancing their own resilience and life opportunities.
  • 1,000 children enjoy fun football activities and learn life skills with peers from different backgrounds in a context that promotes friendship, peace, child protection and gender equality.
  • Together with Cross Cultures, the local partner organisations refresh, strengthen and further develop their unique nationwide FSR network in Iraq.

Partner

Let me play football!

Location and general information

Ongoing
Location Moldavie
Start date 03/01/2022
End date 02/15/2023
Cost of the project €62,939
Foundation funding €50,000
Project identifier 20210884
Partners Football Association of Moldova, Scenario NGO
Categories Access to Sport - Employability - Gender Equality - Personal development

Context

Moldova is one of Europe's poorest countries and has been politically unstable since 2006. Even then, it had one of the highest numbers of orphanages in Europe, though most of the institutionalised children were not orphans but had been given up by parents who could not afford to raise them. Unemployment in Moldova is high and young adults often move abroad to find work, leaving their children behind to be looked after by the state. They believe that what they are doing is in their children’s best interests.

Project content

The project involves a number of development programmes aimed at children living in orphanages all over the country, including facilitating access to football activities.

  • National football championship between orphanages
  • Friendly match between a national ‘dream team’ comprising children from Moldovan orphanages and a team of children from orphanages abroad
  • Scenario Smart Camp, a sports and entertainment camp for 50 children from 15 orphanages who have previously demonstrated motivation for educational activities, competitions and cultural and sports programmes run by our NGO
  • In-person maths tutoring to bring struggling children up to school standard
  • In-person English classes to help orphans living in rural institutions to improve their speaking skills
  • Christmas/New Year’s Eve sports party – an opportunity for children to have fun and make friends from other orphanages
  • Remote IT school, giving children skills that are essential in the 21st century, including the use of IT tools such as MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, search engines, etc.
  • Remote good manners school to give institutionalised children the social and cultural education that is normally provided by the family

Objectives

  • Provide access to sports activities, leading to better health and personal achievements among children living in orphanages
  • Provide high-quality education, motivating the children to continue through secondary and higher education
  • Help children living in orphanages to become the best version of themselves
  • Protect the children’s rights and integrate them into society so that they are no longer vulnerable and are valued as full citizens

Project activities

  • Organise a championship among orphanages
  • Provide language courses and other tutoring for 300 institutionalised children
  • Organise a Christmas and New Year’s Eve party for all children living in 15 orphanages in Moldova
  • Give children gifts
  • Provide all orphanages with supplies
  • Provide participating children with free football equipment

Expected results

For children:

  • Improved academic performance
  • Access to sport
  • Increased aspirations and self-confidence
  • Improved communication and interpersonal relationships based on respect and tolerance
  • Enriched cultural development

For retired persons and teachers:

  • Opportunities for additional earnings
  • Expansion of their social environment
  • Satisfaction of playing an important social role
  • Opportunity to put their experience to good use

Partners