Fundação Benfica presents ambassadors of #MoreThanFootball Action Weeks 2024

Fundação Benfica presents ambassadors of #MoreThanFootball Action Weeks 2024

Fundação Benfica is happy to introduce the #MoreThanFootball Action Weeks 2024 ambassadors. Since 2009 Fundação Benfica have already reached over 25.000 beneficiaries in its different projects, such as the “Para ti Se não faltares!” that aims to tackle school dropout rates and improve the overall school results or the KidFun project that promotes the knowledge and integration of important values like respect and responsibility in young people’s lives.

The foundation also act as fundraisers for humanitarian aid: the 7th Match Against Poverty (2010) in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) which helped the population of Haiti, following the environmental catastrophe of the earthquake in 2010; and the Act Against Hunger (2012) in partnership with The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Fundação Luís Figo.

For this year’s edition of #MTF Action Weeks 2024, Fundação Benfica has chosen three ambassadors. Below quotes of the ambassadors with an inspirational insights linked to the #MoreThanFootball Action Weeks can be found. 

“For me, football is more than Football, it’s a passion! It’s much more than an 11-a-side game, it has a social role. It has that mark of social solidarity. It’s totally versatile. I still play football today! In my life it has been part of my growth as a person, at all levels (learning, responsibility, evolution, work). In people’s lives, in general, it’s a sport that brings together ideologies, races, genders, human resources and skills without “looking” at whom. It is an asset for the evolution of the human being.” 

Helena Bento, Walking Football participant 

“Football is much more than just a game – it’s a powerful tool for promoting social inclusion, diversity and the integration of people from different backgrounds and realities. Through football, it’s possible to promote diversity by bringing together individuals from various cultures, backgrounds and beliefs around a common interest. Additionally, football breaks down social, racial and economic barriers, offering a space where everyone is equal and can come together around the game. Football not only entertains, but also inspires positive social change, creating educational, professional and personal development opportunities for individuals from disadvantaged communities. “More Than Football” represents the transformation that football can bring about, uniting people from different backgrounds and realities in pursuit of a common goal: inclusion and diversity.” 

Luis Alcobia, Inclusion Sports Manager 

“Football has a positive impact on the lives of the general population and in particular, at older ages, in the case of Walking Football. This is not only at a physical level (improving quality of life), but also at a psychological level (requiring them to be concentrated, focused and committed to the task they are doing when training or playing) and especially at a social level, because it gets them out of the house to train and especially to talk, vent and laugh.”

Sérgio Gil, Special Needs & Walking Football Coach