EFDN Highlights 2019 – April to June

EFDN Highlights 2019 – April to June

As the year 2019 is coming to an end, take a look at some EFDN Highlights during the 2nd quarter of the year.

EFDN TURNS 5

EFDN celebrated its 5th birthday having been officially founded on the 1st of April 2014. Starting out as a collaboration of 9 likeminded clubs with similar ideas on tackling social issues through football and aiming to share knowledge and best practice of their CSR programmes, EFDN has evolved into a network with more than 80 member clubs and 3 member leagues. Today, EFDN is proud of this growth and also the diversity it has, which sees clubs and foundations from some of Europe’s biggest clubs all the way through to smaller clubs in the lower divisions of their national football structure.

‘WELCOME THROUGH FOOTBALL’ 2ND INTERNATIONAL MEETING

Everton FC hosted project partners Apollon Limassol, FC Emmen, KAA Gent and SV Werder Bremen for the 2nd ‘Welcome through Football’ seminar in Liverpool. The agenda for the second meeting was based around the kick-off of the delivery phase of the programme, as well as the communication, financing, monitoring and evaluation. One of the main objectives of the Welcome through Football programme is to develop a new methodology for use across Europe which will use football as a tool to promote the social integration of refugees.

EFDN organizes 1ST FOOTBALL WORKS FESTIVAL

On the 13th June of 2019, the EFDN and Dutch Justice Department jointly organised the first ever Football Works Festival at De Karelskamp prison in Almelo, the Netherlands. The Festival programme included a conference with experts and leaders in the field presenting and hosting workshops on programmes from across Europe that use football as a tool for offender rehabilitation, reintegration and employability. At the same time, 14 teams from all over Europe competed in a football tournament. Among the players were not only (former) participants in football based rehabilitation and employability programmes but also former professional players that call themselves “the rebels”. Gerko Brink, Project Coordinator at the Dutch Justice Department, and our CEO Hubert Rovers welcomed the more than 50 attendees to the first Football Works Conference.

‘Breaking Barriers Through Football’ Youth Exchange IN BREDA

NAC Breda hosted the EFDN’s ‘Breaking Barriers Through Football’ Youth Exchange in their home city of Breda, the Netherlands from the 26th May until the 1st June 2019. Coming from diverse backgrounds, the Youth Exchange brought together a group of young people from EFDN members Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany), Fundação Benfica (Portugal), Mifalot (Israel) and NAC Breda, providing them with fun educational and cultural activities, workshops and discussions to support them in making a difference in their own lives, and in their local communities. Not only did the participants take home their Youth Pass Certificate, demonstrating the skills and competencies they learned throughout the week but also great memories and new friendships.

WERDER BREMEN ORGANISES ITS FIRST WALKING FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

The”Old Steerns”, the walking football group of the SV Werder Bremen, organised their first Walking Football tournament at the stadium of the German club. Among the 20 participating teams were also teams from EFDN members FC Schalke 04, Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg and Feyenoord Rotterdam. Walking football, a special variant of football is a game where people are not allowed to run. “Many older people who used to play football also have the chance to continue this sport. You have to behave tactically differently and play technically differently,” explained Werder Bremen President Dr. Hubertus Hess-Grunewald, who took over the award ceremony.

EFDN WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS

KAS Eupen is a football club of Aspire Zone Foundation which wants to promote and develop Qatari/Aspire Academy football talents as well as regional, national and international talents with social & educational responsibility in a professional football environment. Charlton Athletic Football Club started their community programme in 1992 and the club and its community trust work based on the needs of the community and in partnership to deliver high-quality programmes with a lasting impact. Over the last 10 years, Olympique Lyonnais has worked to support the development of regional public interest projects. Through the OL Fondation and the club’s ‘sOLidarity’ fund, multi-year partnerships have been set up in the areas of sport for social inclusion, education, healthcare, employment and support for amateur sports. SK Brann’s community programmes and activities are aimed at their main target groups which are supporters and vulnerable children and young people with the goal that the club’s personality is reflected through their values and that the club cares about the community and initiates projects, develops local talent and is active in important debates and conversations.