#FootballPeople weeks kick-off

#FootballPeople weeks kick-off

The #FootballPeople weeks are a Fare Network campaign and unite supporters, clubs, players, minority groups and communities affected by discrimination to stand for equality and inclusion. This year’s weeks will take place from the 7th to 21st October 2021.

The #FootballPeople weeks is the largest campaign for social change and diversity in global football. During the two-week period over 150,000 people in more than 50 countries organise and participate in events and activities to bring about social change. Join the movement!

Who is it for?

The #FootballPeople weeks are open to everyone regardless of who you are or what your role in football is. Supporters, players, clubs, ethnic minorities, LGBTIQ+ groups, women’s groups, activists, schools and NGOs all take an active role. #FootballPeople activists are united in their love for the game and the belief that football belongs to everyone and can be used to create positive change. We want you to be involved irrespective of origin, race, religion, gender or sexuality. 

There is no limit as to what you can do as long as your activity relates to football and aims to bring about a positive change.

EFDN is also supporting the goals the #FootballPeople weeks are focused on and want to promote by running programs promoting diversity, inclusion and anti-discrimination. Below, we have collected some examples of our work that stand for the ideals of the #FootballPeople weeks.

Welcome Through Football

Welcome Through Football is an EFDN initiative. Current projects across Europe receive funding from the Eramus+ programme of the European Union and the UEFA Foundation for Children.

The Welcome Through Football 2021 project aims to assist in the integration and inclusion of recently arrived young refugees, asylum seekers and young people with a migrant background. EFDN and partners will develop and test a European methodology that uses football as a tool to reach refugees and migrants from different ages (7-25 years old) to get them physically and social active in European communities.

Moreover, the project assists football coaches and youth workers in the development and sharing of effective methods in reaching out to the marginalised target group, in preventing racism and intolerance.

Community Champions League

The Community Champions League is an EFDN project in partnership with nine community-engaged football clubs from the Netherlands, England, Scotland, Norway, Portugal, Hungary, Belgium and Germany. NAC Breda, Feyenoord, Aberdeen FC, Chelsea FC, Club Brugge, SV Werder Bremen, Vålerenga Fotball, Ferencvarosi TC and SL Benfica deliver the Pan-European programme in collaboration with EFDN. 

The Community Champions League is a social street football competition organised locally in nine cities in eight different European countries, 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.

With the aim of promoting social integration through sport, the Community Champions League provides the opportunity for people from different cultures to come together to build relationships and friendships while breaking down barriers through the prevention of violence, racism and intolerance in grassroots sports and their communities.

STEP4youth

The objective of STEP4youth is to design, test and evaluate a new sport-based intervention that introduces and improves employability, knowledge, skills and networks in order to foster the social inclusion of refugee and migrant youth (including unaccompanied minors and youth at highest risk) in Europe.

This new Programme will focus on soft skills valued by employers, such as commitment, motivation, teamwork, flexibility, leadership, time-management or creativity and problem-solving to name a few. Working and strengthening these skills will allow a group of 180 refugees and migrant youth from Spain, Greece and Italy to be better equipped when entering the labour market. Having a job is crucial for their independence and self-reliance and facilitates their social inclusion and integration in Europe. The programme, inspired by the best European practices linking sport and social inclusion, will be delivered by a pool of 90 educators and coaches trained in the new methodology. Furthermore, the project will connect refugees and migrants with a group of 15 companies through the so-called BRIDGE events, an ideal platform for employers to seek new talents duly trained by the Programmes’ methodology. Another key output of the project is the design of a systematization process to evaluate and asses the intervention, and extract from there conclusions, lessons learned and recommendations for the EU sporting community. Dissemination of project results is ensured through the wide international network of the project partners, and at least 20 new European organizations will be identified to share with them the STEP4youth values and seek their adhesion to the network. The project is led by our member Barça Foundation, partnering with Organization Earth, Prospettiva Cooperative, the Danish Refugee Council and EFDN.

SIDFOOT

EFDN is one of in total 8 programme partners that are delivering the Pan-European programme SIDFOOT (“Community Football Drivers for social inclusion in deprived districts”) which is a collaborative partnership funded by the Erasmus+ programme. Our member Real Betis Balompié Foundation is the coordinator of the project that found its inspiration in the figure of Jorge Morillo, who has dedicated his entire life to help the most disadvantaged people of Seville, especially those who are living in deprived areas of the city.

The general objective of this project is to make use of the huge potential of football as a tool to promote social inclusion and a healthier life for children and young people living in disadvantaged neighborhoods. SIDFOOT focuses on having a positive influence on the lives of children and young people living in deprived areas and involves activities that will steer young people towards education in values and the creation of healthy environments.

Show Racism the Red Card

In collaboration with network members Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, Chelsea FC Foundation, Club Brugge Foundation, Inter Campus, Rangers Charity Foundation, Ferencvarosi Torna Club, Fundacao Benfica, SV Werder Bremen, and project partner Geef Racisme de Rode Kaart, EFDN delivers the Show Racism the Red Card programme.

Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC) is a 24-month anti-racism and anti-discrimination programme which is based on the proven concept of the Red Card Campaign delivered in several European countries. SRtRC utilises the high-profile status of football and football players to help tackle racism in society. The project aims to raise awareness of diversity, foster social cohesion, and reduce physical and verbal violence linked to racism. 

In collaboration with network members Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, Chelsea FC Foundation, Club Brugge Foundation, Inter Campus, Rangers Charity Foundation, Ferencvarosi Torna Club, Fundacao Benfica, SV Werder Bremen, and project partner Geef Racisme de Rode Kaart, EFDN delivers the Show Racism the Red Card programme.

What are you going to do? Post about your project on social media and don’t forget to tag Farenetwork, use the Hashtag #FootballPeople, #DiversityWins and #EFDN. You can also download the #FootballPeople logo and statements here. We can’t wait to see your contribution to sustainable social change and diversity!