More than Football Fund Cheques Awarded

More than Football Fund Cheques Awarded

During the More than Football Conference in Utrecht yesterday, the More than Football Fund Cheques were awarded. With this fund, EFDN and Unibet want to further strengthen the social power of the clubs and increase the impact of the projects.

Anyone who is involved in football knows that it is more than a simple game. From tactics to a financial budget, there is a lot involved. A professional football club is also an important place where young and old and people from different backgrounds meet. The social activities of Dutch clubs also promote an active and healthy lifestyle that contributes to both physical and mental health. Football clubs carry out more and more projects for a growing number of participants, but financing these projects remains difficult.

Thanks to the ‘More than Football Fund’, Dutch EFDN members can apply for a grant of EUR 2,500 to EUR 10,000 for innovative projects for which they have difficulty obtaining funding from other funds. With this fund, together with Unibet Impact, EFDN wants to further strengthen the innovation of social projects and the cooperation between clubs. The cheques for 2023 were handed over by Wouter Smeulders for Unibet on behalf of the Kindred Group and Hanna Kernkamp, Manager Operations at EFDN.

The following clubs received a cheque yesterday:

• EUR 2.500: ADO Den Haag with ‘#ADOgroen Buurtbijdrage’, they approach people who experience a lot of social problems and make activities as accessible as possible so that everyone can feel involved in the future.
• EUR 2.500: FC Utrecht with ‘U4U’, this is a unique platform through which FC Utrecht offers reintegration & resocialisation programmes in a professional, equal and accessible way.
• EUR 2.500: VVV Venlo with ‘Family Goals’, this is a district-based family programme, which focuses on the needs of families and children.
• EUR 2.500: Willem II with ‘Rabo Willem II Foodtour’, this is a complete interactive teaching package for groups 7 & 8 and first classes of highschool that focuses on food and healthy eating.
• EUR 2.500: FC Groningen with ‘Meer & Beter Bewegen Tour’, where Groningen’s top sports clubs (Donar, Lycurgus and FC Groningen) are joining forces to raise awareness of the social problem of motion deprivation.
• EUR 2.500: Heracles Almelo with ‘Sport & Speel Goed’, a prorgamme in order to reach all children in the region, Speelgoedbank Twente and Heracles Almelo are working on the realisation of a mobile toy bus. With this, they aim to eventually bring toys and sports articles to children throughout the region.
• EUR 2.500: SC Cambuur with ‘Scoren voor Gezondheid’, with this project they work at 11 primary schools in the Oud-Oost district of Leeuwarden. By deploying players and staff at these schools they want to make children aware of healthy eating and sports.
• EUR 4.500: Go Ahead Eagles with ‘Kowet Proat’, the aim from a social point of view is to (preventively) combat social isolation but also strengthen social contacts through the same passion. The essence of Kowet Praat is picking up football memories together and sharing stories and experiences.
• EUR 5.000: FC Eindhoven with ‘Iedereen hoort erbij’, during the programme, participants receive 1-1.5 hours of football training every week. In addition, the participants will receive various workshops. The opening of the project will be linked to a home match of FC Eindhoven, with the participants first signing a contract and then attending a FC Eindhoven match.
• EUR 5.000: FC Emmen with ‘Voetjebal’, this is a football playing concept for children aged 2 to 5 and was developed from the idea that children in this day and age do not get enough varied exercise. Voetjebal Nederland provides weekly Voetjebal lessons at several locations throughout the country.
• EUR 7.500: Excelsior Rotterdam with ‘Excelsior schools onderdeel van een bredere wijkaanpak’, this project aims to give more meaning to the future of young people.
• EUR 10.00: FC Twente with ‘Letters van Twente’, during this project, they will train students with low reading levels to become reading kings and reading kings. They will get an introduction at the stadium after which they will finish lessons via community centres and libraries.