EFDN welcomes the Irish FA to the Network!
EFDN is happy to announce that the Irish FA has joined the Network. The Irish FA has been working in the community since 1880 but with the establishment of their Foundation they want to strive further to meet their strategic objective of Football for All. By becoming an EFDN member they take the first big step in becoming a prominent player in the world of CSR in Northern Ireland.
For the past 141 years, the Irish Football Association has organised, promoted and developed football. It has discovered some of the greatest talents to ever play the game, helped make history in major tournaments on the world stage and perhaps most important of all, engendered a life-long love of football in generations of men and women.
The Irish FA Foundation is the charitable arm of the Irish FA and exists to further equip the association to foster and grow the sport.
The Foundation has four main aims:
- Develop amateur football, youth football, schools football and futsal.
- Advance education by providing work experience and support to educational establishments and extra-curricular groups
- To provide funds and football facilities in areas in areas of economic need with the object of improving circumstances
- To improve the health and wellbeing of people in Northern Ireland through football
Health
The Foundation provides workshops on healthy eating, nutrition for athletes and healthy lifestyles.
Their Back In The Game programme encourages men and women aged 30 and over to get back
into football. Their Ahead Of The Game programme tackles mental health issues throughout the
game and beyond, helping local clubs engage their players and community to tackle these issues.
Education
Their education programmes work in all age groups and sectors of education. They deliver PE
lessons to primary school pupils while introducing competitions and futsal to older pupils. They also provide coach education and employment opportunities to older pupils in schools and colleges
and train student teachers to deliver football.
Employability
The Foundation partners with many charities and social enterprises to provide opportunities
for NEETS (young people not in employment, education or training) to engage in valuable work
experience and employability skills. They provide work experience opportunities for over 100 young
people each year.
Stay Onside Programme
The Stay Onside Programme is an innovative programme for current and former offenders using
football as a hook to provide employability skills for participants with the objective of deterring
them from offending and providing pathways to volunteering and employment within football.
Ahead of the Game
Ahead of the Game is the Irish FA Foundation’s mental health programme for football clubs. The course aims to support clubs and volunteers when dealing with mental health issues, challenging the stigma around mental health, promoting positive mental health and preventative measures. Ahead of the Game focuses on the idea and importance of starting the conversation around mental health in football.
Hubert Rovers, CEO of EFDN: “It’s a pleasure to welcome the Irish FA to the network. They aim to improve the health, circumstances, and wellbeing of people in Northern Ireland through football. As EFDN we will support them and assist to develop educational tools to achieve this mission.”
