Football for Unity, a key integration project funded by the European Commission, is entering its second round to support young migrants and refugees across Europe through football.
The project will include activities related to next summer’s UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany, building on the success of the initiative implemented during EURO 2020.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, who also heads the UEFA Foundation for Children, welcomed the continuation of the initiative:
“Integration and inclusion are crucial when it comes to creating a diverse and harmonious society in which the unique contribution and perspective of each individual is recognized and valued – this is about values that are embedded in football. We are proud to relaunch the ‘Football for Unity’ program today and I would like to thank the European Commission, Common Goal and all the project partners involved, including UEFA member associations. I look forward to the successful implementation of the project, including during EURO 2024. We have developed our own plans and concrete measures to promote inclusion and integration across Europe.”
The second edition of the “Football for Unity” program was carried out in collaboration with the European Commission developed and is by the UEFA Foundation for Children together with Common Goal carried out and supported by UEFA. Activities are planned in various EU member states, which will be financed from the European Union’s Asylum and Migration Fund.
Margaritis Schinas, Vice President of the European Commission, stressed the importance the EU attaches to working with its partners towards shared European values:
“We value the solid collaboration with UEFA when it comes to innovative ways to advance social change and European values through European football. Projects like ‘Football for Unity’, which benefit from the unique reach of major UEFA events, can make an important contribution to achieving the EU’s goal of breaking down barriers that young migrants and refugees across Europe face in their integration see.”
Ylva Johansson, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, highlighted the added value of sport in the integration of migrants:
“Sport brings people together. The shared passion for football makes locals and migrants alike realize that they have more in common than they may have initially thought. Sport can also be helpful in integrating people from other backgrounds. In collaboration with grassroots clubs and associations, we would like to use this project to promote migrants in our society. That’s why we support the ‘Football for Unity’ project and look forward to success in the participating member states.”
In the future, the project, which started in December and is scheduled to run for two years, is intended to change the way sports clubs, grassroots football organizations and national football associations interact with young refugees and migrants. A consortium of 14 project partners in eleven EU member states (Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Romania, Spain, Czech Republic and Hungary) supports the implementation of the goals of the second edition of “Football for Unity”:
As part of Common Goal’s large network of civil society actors, 190 coaches, teachers as well as youth and social workers will take part in the second edition of “Football for Unity”. The aim is to reach 2,900 young people with the help of integration initiatives and informal education programs. The aim of this collaboration is to promote social inclusion and equal opportunities and to set quality standards for innovative practices.
As part of its commitment to this project, UEFA will work with its Foundation and the European Commission to promote the project activities and objectives in European football and society as a whole.
Urs Kluser, Secretary General of the UEFA Foundation for Children, said:
“During the first edition of ‘Football for Unity’ we gained a lot of experience that we will build on in the next edition. Together with our partners, we strive to launch programs that bring the greatest possible benefit to young refugees and migrants in grassroots football and locally.”
As part of the more than ten years of formal cooperation between UEFA and the EU, UEFA is concretely fulfilling the obligations that it and the European Commission set out in their 2022 cooperation agreement; It is important to use the influence of football and UEFA competitions to promote European values and positive social change.
2023-12-05 11:21:36
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