#Morethanfootball Action Day – Education
On 29 March we are calling all clubs, leagues and FAs to highlight their education initiatives. We have gathered a few examples of how football organisations continued to support pupils across Europe.
Premier League
The Premier League is continuing to support families and teachers in lockdown by providing free, weekly home-learning activities. Suitable for five to 11-year-olds, the new Premier League Primary Stars Weekly Challenges have a theme of health and wellbeing, and are supported by curriculum-linked resources. For one week’s Premier League Primary Stars Challenge, the families were asked to create a character for a football story and to describe what that character is like on both the outside and the inside. The challenge has been created in partnership with the National Literacy Trust and has been set by Girls FC series author Helena Pielichaty.
AFC Community Trust
A series of football themed ‘DONline’ learning resources has been launched by Aberdeen Football Club’s charity partner, AFC Community Trust, to support home schooling and virtual lessons. The free online activities have been created by coaches at AFCCT’s partner schools to support children and young people, parents, carers, teachers and supporters during lockdown. There are different tasks designed for both primary and secondary age pupils and the online resources have been backed by both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Council’s education departments. Youngsters can learn along with AFC mascots Angus the Bull and Donny the Sheep as they set challenges covering creative learning, numeracy, literacy and problem solving, alongside fun tasks aimed at keeping children active and healthy.
EFDN STEM Network
On the 28th of January 2021, EFDN and Sphero hosted the first virtual EFDN STEM Network Conference. The aim of the event was to share information on STEM education, our new EFDN STEM Football & Education programme and membership in the EFDN STEM Network. We have asked expert Matt Mead, Sphero Sports Partnerships Manager, about the importance of STEM Education, the opportunities for football organisations, and the impact of existing collaborations so far. You can read the interview here.
Fundación Real Betis Balompié
The Fundación Real Betis Balompié donated a total of 7 tables, 60 chairs and 60 pencil cases to an orphanage in Malabo (Equatorial Guinea). This furniture is specifically designed for early childhood education in this center that has enabled two new classrooms for children to continue their educational development. In addition, Dos Hermanas town hall has donated more school furniture, books and hospital equipment.
Chelsea FC Foundation
With England in lockdown due to Covid-19 developments, most school children and their families have had to adapt again to learning remotely. In response to this, the Foundation’s Education team have created a new ‘Check-in with Chelsea’ programme and have started delivering in schools in January 2021. The programme has been created to provide a check-in point for pupils, enabling them to join via Chelsea’s own virtual classrooms, with challenges themed around English, Maths, PSHE, STEM and Physical Activity and will be linked to a Chelsea FC men or women’s player along with a manager’s challenge!
Sheffield United F.C. Community Foundation
Sheffield United Community Foundation’s Participation & Inclusion strand delivered 400 books to 10 schools across Sheffield during World Book Day. The books were given to the Foundation as part of an exciting partnership with the National Literacy Trust and the Premier League to help celebrate World Book Day. National Literacy Trust research has found that children who have their own books are nearly three times more likely to enjoy reading. The partnership will help support children whose access to physical books has been made difficult due to school and public library closures during the national lockdown.
IDEAS FOR #MORETHANFOOTBALL ACTIVITIES:
- Celebrate teachers involved in your community programmes
- Launch campaign against early school leaving
- Hosting webinars/online meetings to share educational resources
- Sending educational resources to community organisations
- Highlight projects that support education in your community
- Wherever possible, create social media content (photos/videos) with beneficiaries of your education/employability programmes
Please use #morethanfootball and feel free to tag our #Morethanfootball social media accounts so we can share your posts and activities.
