2nd Special Champions League Tournament in Leverkusen
We from EFDN are pleased to host our last EFDN Special Champions League tournament of the year. This time, our event will take place in Leverkusen from the 6th until the 8th of June. This international event will welcome female and male players who are +15 years old and have an intellectual disability.
This tournament is part of the Special Champions League Project, in which EFDN together with Special Olympics Belgium and Special Olympics Europe Eurasia collaborates with 8 football clubs while they deliver the project. The 8 clubs/foundations are: Fundacion Alcoraz Huesca, Benfica Foundation, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Werder Bewegt, Levante Foundation, NAC Maatschappelijk, N.E.C. Maatschappelijk, and KAS Eupen.
PREVIOUS EDITION OF EFDN SPECIAL CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
On Wednesday 8 February 2023, the previous edition of the Special Champions League took place. After the pilot edition in Breda in November 2021, the tournament now took place in beautiful Lisbon. With a pitch that was right next to the Estádio da Luz, Benfica’s stadium. The beautiful venue coupled with the collaboration of EFDN, Fundação Benfica, Special Olympics and Masterfoot were the perfect elements to make the tournament successful.
Twelve different teams filled with boys and girls participated in the tournament, also the vast majority were still children. Present at the tournament were: AFC Ajax | Only Friends, Werder Bremen, Benfica Foundation, KAS Eupen, Fundación Alcoraz Huesca, Fundación Levante UD, NEC Nijmegen, Foundation 92, Juventus for Special, Bayer Leverkusen, Everton in the Community and the Special Olympics Portugal team.
Special Champions League objectives
• Provide safe, inclusive, and active environments where young people with
intellectual disabilities can come together and play football at a level they are all
comfortable with.
• Provide opportunities for young people with intellectual disabilities to socialise
with young people who do not have intellectual disabilities.
• Foster and enhance cross-sectional partnerships for the establishment of a
Special Champions League methodology across the football industry.
Partners
