EFDN Highlights 2019 – January to March
As the year 2019 is coming to an end, take a look at some EFDN Highlights during the 1st quarter of the year.
12th EFDN ‘# Morethanfootball’ Conference at Stamford Bridge
We hosted the 12th edition of the EFDN Conference in London on the 26th and 27th March 2019 at Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea FC. The 12th EFDN Conference brought together leading practitioners from across Europe in the field of football based CSR to discuss, debate and learn about new trends and challenges, find solutions and ultimately work together to strengthen the social power of football. The 12th EFDN Conference saw inspiring presentations from leading organisations like Chelsea FC Foundation, Real Madrid Foundation, Erasmus+, Scottish FA, Premier League, Malmö FF and Athletic Bilbao.
#MORETHANFOOTBALL ACTION WEEKS
The 2019 #Morethanfootball Action Weeks ran from the 19th of March to the 9th of April. EFDN asked everyone in the football family to record a video while catching a football, sharing what ‘#Morethanfootball’ means to them and then ‘#Passiton’ nominating a colleague or friend to do the same, sharing the video on their social media/websites with the #Passiton and #Morethanfootball hashtags and tagging their nominees. During the 3 weeks, the European football community celebrated the work they are delivering off the pitch in their local communities and we saw many great activities and initiatives. The campaign again received the support of our partners UEFA Foundation for Children and European Club Association (ECA) and it was amazing to see the numerous ways in which the power of football can change lives for the better being showcased throughout the 3 weeks and beyond.
1st international meeting for ‘Welcome through Football’
The ‘Welcome through Football’ kick-off seminar was held in Bremen on the 22nd and 23rd of January 2019. Funded by Erasmus+, ‘Welcome through Football’ is a collaboration between KAA Gent, SV Werder Bremen, Everton FC, Vitesse Arnhem and Apollon Limassol. The first meeting saw the participating clubs come together to initiate the 12 months project which covers Belgium, Germany, England, Cyprus and the Netherlands. 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. Over a 12 week period, the methodology targeted refugees aged between the ages of 7 and 25, using the twice a week sessions as a safe space to aid the social integration of refugees in their host countries and to develop and prove the methodology.
Community Champions League meeting
NAC Breda hosted the first ”Community Champions League” international meeting at their Rat Verlegh Stadion. The programme, based on the successful Dutch Street League will reach across 8 countries with NAC Breda, Feyenoord, Aberdeen FC, Chelsea FC, Club Brugge, SV Werder Bremen, Vålerenga Fotball, Ferencvaros TC and SL Benfica all participating. The Community Champions League is a social street football competition organised locally, where the participating teams can win more points through Fair-Play, Fair Support and Volunteering in community activities than by winning their Street Football matches.
FIRST LEAGUES JOIN EFDN
The SPFL Trust is an independent registered charity associated with the Scottish Professional Football League, working in partnership with Scotland’s 42 professional clubs and external agencies to promote, support, fund and administer activities which inspire SPFL clubs to help meet the identified social needs of the people of Scotland. Pro League + is the social pillar of the Pro League. Pro League +, together with the 24 Pro League clubs, is aiming for a strong CSR policy in which football is a tool to make a positive contribution to society and football clubs are credible local social players who organise community outreach programmes in cooperation with civil society organisations.
EFDN WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
FC Midtjylland uses togetherness to strengthen social cohesion and create well-being. History shows that togetherness can move mountains and for FC Midtjylland it’s about reaching out and making a difference for people in their region. The club works in harmony with the local clubs, the life of the people and societal challenges. The club acknowledges the importance of the interaction between volunteers, social associations, local and regional companies and the local authorities. FC Espoo is the first Finnish Club to join the EFDN. The club was founded in 1989 by the football clubs in Espoo, Finland. The values of the club are Equality, Community, Individual Support and they have developed a strong social community presence in collaboration with their feeder clubs, Leppävaara Pallo, FC Kasiysi, Kauklahti Pyrinti and Ponsi in Northern Espoo. FC Emmen wants to be more than just a football club and firmly believes that each of us can make a difference but together we can make a change. The plan for Naoberschap United is to utilise the special position that the Club has in the local community to create opportunities of the local, professional football organisation and the impact of football can have in raising awareness of CSR-projects. Projects that help others and bring a smile to someone’s face.
