EFDN Highlights - April, May & June - European Football for Development Network

EFDN Highlights – April, May & June

As 2023 comes to an end, EFDN invites you to look back on this year’s remarkable activities, projects and news stories. Again, 2023 has been a truly inspiring and succesful year in which we could welcome a lot of our members at our conferences and the tournaments. We take pride in having showcased the social impact of football once again over the past year, through a variety of projects and initiatives. We are ready to make football matter again in 2024! But before we look ahead, let’s have a look at some highlights from April, May and June 2023.

Youth Exchange in Israel was a great success!

This year, several children left for beautiful Israel where they participated in the Youth Exchange for 6 days. The Youth Exchange represents an exchange of different cultures filled with cultural evenings, typical games from the respective country and, of course, a full immersion in Israeli culture.

In the six-day course, each culture was asked to give some different interpretations during the week. This was through a self-organised cultural evening and a group energizer. With Vitesse (Netherlands), Benfica (Portugal) and of course the children from Israel, there were plenty of different cultures to learn about. All this was enhanced by the children in Israel, because they were not all from Israel. Many came from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

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Walking Football League Tournament in Newcastle, UK

The third edition of the Walking Football Tournament took place on Wednesday, 31st of May, in Newcastle, UK. This edition of the tournament, 16 clubs, consisting of 18 teams, participated with players aged 50 years and more. All the matches were played at Cochrane Park, which is a centre for Physical Recreation & Sport in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

A day before the tournament, all the football players, including the organizers, had dinner at the stadium and used the time to socialise with other players. After the tournament, everyone had an opportunity to enjoy their 2nd dinner at the same place – the stadium.

In total, the tournament consisted of 60 matches representing both regular and fair-play games. Newcastle United Foundation Team 1 won the cup, placing Schalke Hilft! in the 2nd place, followed by Greenock Morton Community Trust taking the 3rd place. When it comes to the fair-play game, Rangers Charity Foundation took 1st place.

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EFDN STEM Conference in Glasgow

The EFDN STEM Conference, held at Hampden Park in Glasgow on June 29, brought together several clubs and organisations with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). This collaborative event aimed to use the power of football to foster educational opportunities for children and create a positive impact in the club’s communities. Among the esteemed clubs were Scottish and English members and STEM project partners like Newcastle United Foundation, Feyenoord Rotterdam, Greenock Morton, PFC Ludogorets 1945, and Aberdeen FC.

The EFDN STEM conference showcased the innovative ways in which football clubs can integrate STEM education into their community programs. By leveraging the popularity of football in their communities, EFDN members engage children in practical learning experiences and spark their interest in STEM subjects. The Conference also featured engaging hands-on workshops, allowing the attendees to delve into the world of robotics. Attendees had the opportunity to build their own robots, fostering creativity, problem-solving skills, and an understanding of engineering concepts. These interactive sessions were exactly what young participants in schools are getting, giving them a taste of the exciting possibilities that STEM offers.