Watch the UEFA Super Cup opening ceremony!

Football United for Peace was the theme of the opening ceremony of the 2015 UEFA Super Cup, which took place at Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi on 11 August. The match was between FC Barcelona, winners of the UEFA Champions League, and Sevilla FC, winners of the UEFA Europa League.

This special pre-match ceremony was planned with the help of the UEFA Foundation for Children and in collaboration with the Georgian Football Federation.

The ceremony started with Georgian folk dancing accompanied by young drummers, while 1,000 disadvantaged children and accompanying adults from Georgia and eight neighbouring countries took their places around the pitch. They then joined the players and the match officials in forming a human chain. The grand finale was led by four talented young Georgians, who sang John Lennon’s Imagine to promote the message of peace.

The UEFA Foundation for Children would like to thank the Georgian Football Federation for getting the football associations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine involved in this initiative and for the warm welcome given to the children.

The children went home with happy and unforgettable memories of the event. Attending an elite football match involving their idols and getting a taste of the atmosphere at such a great match truly was a dream come true.

Football united for peace

A pre-match ceremony involving 1,000 children and accompanying adults will illustrate football’s power to bring people together

Children from Georgia and neighbouring countries will spread messages of peace at the 2015 UEFA Super Cup in Tbilisi, thanks to a shared initiative between the Georgian Football Federation (GFF) and the UEFA Foundation for Children. Nearly 1,000 disadvantaged children from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine have been invited to the event, all with support from their national football associations.

The children will participate in the pre-match ceremony, which is inspired by the theme ‘football united for peace’. The ceremony will be based around a human chain made up of the children and accompanying adults, the players – From FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC – and the referee team, symbolising how football can bring people together.

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“As well as learning about elite football from the match, everyone will receive a message of peace and unity from the children – a message that is important for society,” said GFF president Zviad Sichinava. “The inclusion of this message in the pre-match ceremony shows how important these core values are to UEFA – values which led to the inauguration of the UEFA Foundation for Children. I would like to thank all the participating associations for their support in working not only to invite these children but to use football’s vast popularity as a stage to promote these vital values to a global audience.”

“Football gives us a great opportunity to be united as a society, and to empower children through the values that it brings, and the UEFA Super Cup is no different,” said UEFA President Michel Platini. “Childhood is a time when we exhibit the most extraordinary potential, and we hope that the presence of these children at this great occasion in Tbilisi can be inspirational for their futures. We would like to thank the Georgian Football Federation and its president, Zviad Sichinava, for the work undertaken with the UEFA Foundation for Children in order to make a difference to vulnerable children through this project.”

Media Release 02 – Football United for Peace

A human chain created by 1,000 children, together with the players and the referee team, to promote peace and unity

The UEFA Super Cup match between FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC, which will take place in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday 11 August, will feature a historic moment in the world of football. For the first time, the opening ceremony will include a human chain: a symbolic act involving the players, the referee team and 1,000 disadvantaged children and accompanying adults from Georgia and eight neighbouring countries. The aim of this shared initiative by the Georgian Football Federation (GFF) and the UEFA Foundation for Children is to spread a powerful message: ‘Football United for Peace’.

Tbilisi is the easternmost European city to host the UEFA Super Cup since 2012, when the match left Monaco, where it had been played since 1998. Other cities can now host this encounter between the previous season’s winners of the two major European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The GFF, with the support of the UEFA Foundation for Children, decided to seize this opportunity to send a strong message by giving the spotlight to children from conflict zones in Europe, conveying the idea of peace and unity, and showing how football can bring people together. The national football associations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine all responded positively to this initiative.

The president of the GFF, Zviad Sichinava, said: “Everyone will receive a message of peace and unity from the children – a message that is important for society. The inclusion of this message in the pre-match ceremony shows how important these core values are to UEFA – values which led to the inauguration of the UEFA Foundation for Children. I would like to thank all the participating associations for their support in working together to use football’s vast popularity as a platform to promote these vital values to a global audience.”

UEFA President Michel Platini added: “Football gives us a great opportunity to be united as a society, and to empower children. Childhood is a time when we exhibit the most extraordinary potential, and we hope that the presence of these children at this great occasion in Tbilisi can be inspirational for their futures. We would like to thank the Georgian Football Federation and its president, Zviad Sichinava, for the work undertaken with the UEFA Foundation for Children in order to make a difference to vulnerable children through this project.”

The UEFA Foundation for Children was established in 2015 on the initiative of the UEFA President, reflecting UEFA’s desire to use football as a force for good in society. A number of humanitarian and development programmes are being conducted by the foundation around the world. Furthermore, earlier this year a number of children were invited to the UEFA Europa League final in Warsaw, the UEFA Champions League final in Berlin, and the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final in Prague.

Further information

The official UEFA Foundation for Children website: www.UEFAfoundation.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/UEFA-Foundation-for-children/1390557581256583

Twitter: https://twitter.com/UEFA_Foundation

Media contact: media@uefafoundation.org

Experience of a lifetime for 100 youngsters in Prague

Thanks to the UEFA Foundation for Children and the Football Association of the Czech Republic (FAČR), 100 young people in precarious situations in the Prague region attended the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final between Sweden and Portugal at the Eden Stadium in the Czech capital.

Two local groups received 50 tickets each for the showpiece occasion. One group was the Children’s Home association, which helps children and adolescents who are marginalised or in difficult social situations, as well as orphans, homeless youngsters and children from the Roma minority.

“The Under-21 final is a very important event,” said Martin Lněnička from the Children’s Home, “and we were very surprised, happy and excited to be part of it. We all realised that it was a huge honour for us to share in football’s fever. We really appreciated this opportunity.”

“Children in our house live almost the same lives as other youngsters – school, hobbies, fun, shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc. They live in family groups and they are supervised by teachers, and they spend their time like other young persons.”

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What can football bring into these youngsters’ lives? “In general, sport helps a lot in difficult life situations,” Martin Lněnička explained. “Football is fun for everyone, boys and girls, and most of them have tried it. That’s the reason why they can understand the game. Personally, they love Ronaldo and Messi, and they know most of the famous players from the UEFA Champions League. They also have their favourite players in our national team, and now in the Under-21 category as well.”

For these young people, the invitation to a major European competition final was a fantastic experience. Through the realisation of this dream, the Foundation hopes that the experience will give the youngsters a glimmer of hope and a boost in their life.

World Refugee day for youngsters at the Za’atari camp

To celebrate World Refugee Day on 20 June, a friendly football event took place involving Jordan’s national Under-15 team and a team from the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan. The event was staged at the Al-Hassan football stadium situated a few kilometres from the camp, and followed a football tournament organised at the Za’atari camp from 11 to 15 June.

The activities were organised by the UEFA Foundation for Children, the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP), the UNHCR and the Jordan Football Association (JFA).

The event brought together 25 Jordanian adolescents and 23 Syrian counterparts. The activities were aimed at nurturing interaction and dialogue between young Syrians and Jordanians through football, and promoting, among others, the role of sport and recreational activities in responding to young people’s psychosocial needs.

The event and its message fitted perfectly with the message being promoted by the UNHCR this year – Standing Together.

This year’s World Refugee Day fell during Ramadan, so the meeting took place in the evening after the breaking of the fast. The two teams were able to eat together and mingle during sports games and other life skills activities before they started the football event. Four teams were formed, all featuring a mixture of young Jordanians and Syrians, and two matches of 20 minutes’ duration were staged.

The evening ended with traditional dancing – the debka – improvised by the youngsters. The young Syrians were able to leave the Za’atari camp for the first time since their arrival. Special thanks in this respect must go to Colonel Al-Amoush, head of the Za’atari camp, who made this possible.

The Syrian youngsters were delighted to be able to take part in the event, and created a surprise by all wearing self-created T-shirts bearing the words “Thank you UEFA, AFDP, JFA”. The young Jordanians also made a splendid contribution to what was a memorable event for everyone who took part.

 

The Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan is staging a football tournament from 11-15 June to mark the forthcoming World Refugee Day on 20 June

The Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan is staging a football tournament from 11-15 June to mark the forthcoming World Refugee Day on 20 June. The tournament is being organised by the UEFA Foundation for Children, the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) and the UNHCR.

The tournament will feature Under-15 male and female teams from the 12 districts of the camp, and the finals will take place on 15 June before the start of Ramadan. On 20 June, the winning male team will take part in a match together with the Jordanian Under-15 male team. The match will take place at Al Sareeh.

Youngsters are being given the opportunity to engage in fun and competitive recreational activities, and the tournament aims to promote interaction and dialogue between young Syrians and Jordanians through football. In addition, tournaments such as this promote, among others, the role of sport and recreational activities in responding to young people’s psychosocial needs, and help reinforce the relationship between the UEFA Foundation and the AFDP with respect to activities at the Za’atari camp.

The event and its message fit perfectly with the message being promoted by the UNHCR this year – Standing Together.

Male and female teams at the Za’atari camp tournament will each comprise ten players. Male teams will be fielding players aged between 13 and 15, and female teams will consist of players between the ages of 10 and 15. All teams registered for the tournament will choose a team name, which will formalise their status within the UEFA Foundation for Children/AFDP Football League at the Za’atari camp.

Every qualifying game in the male tournament will be 15 minutes in length, while the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be played over 20 minutes. All of the female tournament matches will last for 15 minutes. The tournament finals on 15 June (both male and female) will played over 20 minutes.

The event on 20 June will take place at night due to Ramadan. The match will be of 2 x 15 minutes’ duration, and each of the two teams will feature a mixture of both Syrian and Jordanian youngsters.

Ten young people going through a difficult time had their dream come true as they attend the UEFA Champions League final

The UEFA Foundation for Children was pleased to invite eight children and four accompanying adults from the Air pur & soleil organisation to the great annual celebration of football that is the UEFA Champions League final. Air pur & soleil (Fresh Air & Sun) is a children’s organisation based in Haute-Savoie that provides breaks for children who are going through a very difficult time in their lives. They are generally experiencing family breakdown or have dropped out of school or other institutions. The organisation enables them to get away from their usual surroundings for a while by giving them a calming environment and a break between a problematic past and perhaps a fresh start.

BERLIN, GERMANY - JUNE 06: The UEFA Champions League Final on June 6, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images for UEFA)
BERLIN, GERMANY - JUNE 06: The UEFA Champions League Final on June 6, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images for UEFA)

Two other young people, who are supported by the Swiss-based Étoile filante (Shooting Star) foundation, could also have their dream come true as they too attend the UEFA Champions League final. The foundation’s primary aim is to bring joy and fun to children and young people up to the age of 18 who are seriously ill, injured or disabled.

Football gives vulnerable children a boost

Children in Poland got to experience the inspirational power of football at the UEFA Europa League final in Warsaw as part of the UEFA Foundation for Children’s first new project. “Some of them had been so excited they couldn’t sleep two or three nights before the game,” said Janusz Bukowski, who heads the local association that was responsible for accompanying the children at the match.

A total of 200 tickets were made available in support of vulnerable children living in Poland. The Polish Football Federation (PZPN) and the city of Warsaw selected 14 associations with a recognised role in this field, and through them sent 157 children and 43 accompanying adults to the final on 27 May.

“Being chosen to attend the final meant a lot for these children. It was like winning the lottery for them,” Bukowski said. “Many of these children were so excited they couldn’t sleep two or three nights before the game – they couldn’t believe they’d really been invited to such great event. It was a fantastic idea and I would like to say ‘Merci Michel’. Sport is a fantastic opportunity to integrate people. These vulnerable children now feel that they are important, that somebody cares about them. In their everyday lives, they get into trouble at school and at home because they can’t control their emotions. That’s why they’re often rejected by others. And here they weren’t rejected, quite the opposite: they were INVITED. It’s a big difference in comparison with their day-to-day lives. Football really can make a difference, and this is just one example. Even before the game I spoke to their teachers, who said that just being invited had helped a lot; the children had suddenly started to behave! This has changed them a lot.”

UEFA UEL Final Week – Warsaw MD on May 27, 2015 in Warsaw, Poland.
UEFA UEL Final Week – Warsaw MD on May 27, 2015 in Warsaw, Poland.

Explaining how the children were selected, Bukowski revealed: “It was amazing for me. To be frank, we picked the biggest troublemakers. The more rejected they were by the community, the more we wanted them. We also had children in wheelchairs. For some of them it really was a dream come true. UEFA and the Polish FA not only gave them tickets, they gave them the feeling that somebody cares. UEFA made them feel as great as the stadium they were in, as great as the event they were watching. This is priceless. Most of them love football, Robert Lewandowski is their idol and who knows – maybe one day they will have the opportunity to watch him from the stands!”

Just Play raises funds to rebuild the Louis-Antoine de Bougainville School in Vanuatu

After Tropical Cyclone Pam, which badly damaged the Vanuatu archipelago’s infrastructure, it is now time to take action and start rebuilding. The coordinators of the Just Play programme have decided to start fundraising to contribute to the rebuilding of the severely damaged Louis-Antoine de Bougainville school, with the support of partners such as the government, several institutions, and children who are involved in sport programmes and community life.

Just Play trainers VAN(1)

Delphin N’alunis, fundraising coordinator, said: “Sport can put a smile back on our faces. Let’s get together and work together to lift the spirits of all the children who have been affected by Cyclone Pam with peace, joy, and happiness.”

Despite the recent events, the Just Play programme is continuing its training and education activities. A train the trainer course was held from 27 April to 1 May in Port Vila, at the Teouma academy. It brought together the 13 Just Play coordinators from the different islands involved.

A treasure hunt at Zaatari

Many activities were organised at the Za’atari refugee camp to celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on 6 April.

The UEFA Foundation for Children did its bit to mark this important day by organising a treasure hunt for ten teams of children living in the 12th district of the camp. The aim of the game was to find footballs hidden all over the camp by answering questions on topics of general culture and about life in the camp, but also about football and its values, such as fair play, team spirit, friendship, honesty and responsibility.

 

Media Release 01 – UEFA Foundation for Children gets off the ground : Four initial projects to help disadvantaged children

The UEFA Foundation for Children was established on the initiative of the UEFA President, Michel Platini, reflecting the desire of European football’s governing body to play a more active role in society. The UEFA Foundation for Children is governed by Swiss law and has been operational since March 2015.

For many years UEFA has supported initiatives and programmes that help disadvantaged children throughout Europe and beyond. Now, the UEFA Foundation for Children has taken over and is stepping up these activities to help promote children’s fundamental rights as expressed in international conventions, according to which a child is a person in their own right, has rights of their own and should be able to assert those rights. The foundation is active in various domains such as health, education, access to sport, law, personal development and the integration of minorities.

The board of trustees met for the first time on 23 March 2015 in Vienna. José Manuel Durão Barroso, former president of the European Commission, was elected for a four-year term as chairman of the board. The other trustees are (in alphabetical order): Sándor Csányi (president of the Hungarian Football Federation and founder of the Csányi Foundation for Children), Norman Darmanin Demajo (president of the Malta Football Association and founder of the Time2Think Organisation), Peter Gilliéron (president of the Swiss Football Association and chairman of the UEFA Fair Play and Social Responsibility Committee), Margarita Louis-Dreyfus (chairperson of the supervisory board of Louis-Dreyfus Holding B.V. and president of the Louis-Dreyfus Foundation), Michel Platini (UEFA President) and Viviane Reding (member of the European Parliament).

At its inaugural meeting, the board of trustees approved a series of initial projects in favour of disadvantaged children:

  • Football in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan: initiated by UEFA in 2013, the foundation has taken over this project, helping children displaced by the conflict in Syria by organising sports activities, training for football coaches and tournaments for girls and boys living in the refugee camp.
  • Just Play: the foundation has also taken over this project in the Pacific, which was set up by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and UEFA and has received numerous awards already. The aim is to encourage physical activity among 6 to 12-year-olds and to promote healthy lifestyles to counter the problem of child obesity that affects much of the Pacific region.
  • Three projects linked to UEFA EURO 2016 in France: the foundation will organise activities throughout the tournament next summer in support of a series of projects designed with the rights of the child in mind.
  • Autism project: the foundation will work with the International Foundation of Applied Disability Research (FIRAH) to improve the lives of autistic children and their families.

José Manuel Durão Barroso said: “UEFA’s commitment in setting up this foundation embodies a desire that has always inspired me, to reach out to those most in need by turning the fundamental values of European civilisation – human dignity, solidarity and hope – into opportunities for our children to improve their lives. Together, we must act to guarantee them a future full of promise. Because by acting on behalf of children today we are shaping the society of tomorrow.”

Further information:

The official UEFA Foundation for Children website: www.UEFAfoundation.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/UEFA-Foundation-for-children/1390557581256583

Twitter: https://twitter.com/UEFA_Foundation

Media contact: media@uefafoundation.org

Annual solidarity fund 2015

The UEFA Foundation for Children has decided to allocate its €1m annual solidarity fund for 2015 to a project designed to improve communication and education for autistic children in Europe. The project is organised by the International Foundation of Applied Disability Research (FIRAH). Inspired by its innovative approach, which combines technology and new teaching methods, the board of trustees decided to give the project the foundation’s backing so that a greater number of children with autism can benefit from the tools available. The foundation will also support research and development with a view to better meeting the needs of autistic children and their families.

Board of trustees meet for the first time on 23 March 2015 in Vienna

The trustees convened in the afternoon of 23 March in Vienna, on the eve of the UEFA Congress. At this inaugural meeting they elected José Manuel Durão Barroso for a four-year term as their chairman and approved a first series of projects to help disadvantaged children.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA - MARCH 22: The UEFA Foundation for children meeting prior to the UEFA XXXIX Ordinary Congress on March 22, 2015 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images for UEFA)
VIENNA, AUSTRIA - MARCH 22: The UEFA Foundation for children meeting prior to the UEFA XXXIX Ordinary Congress on March 22, 2015 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images for UEFA)

The administrative and operational responsibility for two projects – football activities in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan and the Just Play programme promoting education and tackling child obesity in the Pacific region – was transferred from UEFA to the foundation, which will also launch three projects linked to UEFA EURO 2016 and children’s rights. A fourth project will be organised in cooperation with the International Foundation of Applied Disability Research (FIRAH), with the aim of improving the lives of autistic children and their families.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA - MARCH 22: UEFA Foundation for children board members pose for a group photo as they meet prior to the UEFA XXXIX Ordinary Congress on March 22, 2015 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images for UEFA)
VIENNA, AUSTRIA - MARCH 22: UEFA Foundation for children board members pose for a group photo as they meet prior to the UEFA XXXIX Ordinary Congress on March 22, 2015 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images for UEFA)