From hardship to hope: giving children a chance to live the Champions League dream
For a group of children selected by the Second Chance Sports Association, a partner of the UEFA Foundation, this weekend's Champions League final in Budapest is about much more than football.
Before a ball has even been kicked in the Puskás Aréna, 30 Hungarian children will have already lived a moment many could scarcely have imagined: meeting players from Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal on the eve of the biggest match in club football.
For each, it is far more than a special day out. All have grown up facing hardship, instability or exclusion.
"These opportunities are huge. When everything comes together, then all of them will remember a great experience for the rest of their lives,” says Dora Gottgeisl, a social worker and programme coordinator with the Second Chance Sports Association, a UEFA Foundation for Children partner, that invited the children to attend the Champions League Final.
Founded in 2005, Second Chance has spent more than two decades nurturing a sense of belonging, confidence and hope among children and young people from underserved communities, in particular low-income families.
Among the group attending the final are three girls from Second Chance’s rural partnership programmes in the north of Hungary, who will serve as referee mascots on the big night. Others come from Second Chance programmes located across Budapest, including training sessions in child protection institutions and on pitches that are easy for local children to access.
Beyond the pitch
Second Chance’s work stretches far beyond the pitch: case management, family support, academic tutoring, summer camps and community-building all form part of the programme.
"We don't only focus on the football but also try to offer a community for those who have experienced social problems or challenges,” Dora explains. “We work on the children's physical well-being, but also their mental well-being.”
Sense of community
Providing a sense of community is crucial because, for many of the children, life away from football can feel challenging. Many have not had consistent opportunities to grow up in encouraging environments that support learning, play, and development.
“In general, they often arrive with very low self-esteem,” says Dora. “They have issues with anger management and controlling their emotions. Often, they don’t really have role models in the family or from society."
Second Chance represents a source of much-needed stability for these kids. "We try to provide them with a safe place where they know there is a place for mistakes,” she says, "and even when you make a mistake, you can come back the next time and still be a part of our community.”
Ease of access
Where equipment, facilities, or organised activities are limited, football’s simplicity matters: it gives children an easy way to play, connect, and take part.
“Football is one such a popular game, and it’s very easy to play,” Dora says. “You just need a ball, any kind of ball is enough, and you can create a goal using a wall, jumpers, or event stones. Anybody can play this game and it teaches so much more than physical skills.”
“We believe that almost all the situations on the pitch can be transferred into an everyday situation off the pitch,” she explains.
Living out a positive experience
This week’s dream trip to the Champions League final is not separate from the programme’s mission but an extension of it, where children from worlds often defined by limitation will live out a positive experience that will stay with them forever.
Individually, they represent different places and stories, but they share the same extraordinary opportunity: to feel seen, welcomed and inspired at the highest level of the game, rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest stars on the planet.
Lasting change
Of course, it takes more than one magical moment to create a lasting change. “Maybe people will think that the kids come to our programme, or this final, and a miracle will happen, that they will suddenly transform,” say Dora, “but we have to understand that positive impact truly comes in the long- and medium-term.”
“Our hope is that in five or six years, even if they are not part of the programme anymore, they will remember some things that they learned from Second Chance and it continues to have an impact on their lives.”
That long view is what makes this final-weekend experience so special. The memories made at the Puskás Aréna can stay with these children long after the final whistle - reminding them of joy, belonging, and the possibilities that exist beyond their everyday challenges.
Circle keeps turning
Perhaps the most beautiful part of Second Chance’s work is that the circle keeps turning.
Dora speaks proudly about young leaders who have spent six or seven years with the organisation and now return to help with tournaments and summer camps, becoming role models for the next generation. Those children who once needed a safe place to grow up are now creating them for others.
In time, the 30 young fans living their football dream in Budapest might just do the same for the next generation, and tell them about the time they came face to face with the UEFA Champions League winners.