Recap More than Football Conference in Utrecht

While everyone is still enjoying bites and drinks, we can already look back on an insightful day. The event, which promised a day filled with knowledge and networking opportunities, delivered on its promise. Let’s take a moment to recap the highlights of this second edition of the #Morethanfootball conference in De Galgenwaard, Utrecht:

Opening:
The day began with an energetic opening, hosted by none other than Dutch TV Host Rivkah op het Veld. This was followed by Eredivisie’s presentation on their impact report. Our CEO, Hubert Rovers presented afterwards about ESG in Europe.

“ESG used to be a ‘nice to have thing,’ but in recent years, it has become a ‘need to have’ thing.”
Hubert Rovers, CEO EFDN

#Morethanfootball Fund :
One of the most notable moments of the day was the awarding of the #Morethanfootball Fund cheques. Twelve Dutch clubs were awarded a cheque. The cheques ranged from 2,500 euros to as much as 10,000. Thanks to Unibet for making this possible.

Break-out Sessions:
During the break-out sessions, participants had the opportunity to delve deeper into specific topics such as vitality, young dementia, sustainability, and many more.

Speakers:
Inspiring speakers such as Mohammed Mohandis, Seán McCabe, Marieke Maas, Niels Meijer, Elmer Burke, Ard van Peppen, and many more, shared their expertise and experiences in an engaging manner.

The Start of a Tradition:
Jan de Jong, head of Eredivisie CV, left no doubt that there is a strong desire for a follow-up to this event. It seems that indeed, we will come together again next year for even more inspiration and knowledge sharing.

Panels:
We rounded off the day with two panels. Firstly Siem De Jong, Sari van Veenendaal and Bram Van Polen discussed about their role as a football player in making a social impact. After the players we moved on with the mediapanel. Rivkah asked Sjoerd Mossou, Willem Vissers and Pepijn Keppel about how journalism changed throughout the years and about their responsibilities regarding their media coverage.

‘’Football is something that is not quite important, but a lot of people find it the most important.’’
Sjoerd Mossou, Algemeen Dagblad

Looking Forward to Athens:
Finally, attention was drawn to our next EFDN Making Football Matter Conference from November 13 to 15, which will take place in the beautiful city of Athens. EFDN will especially focus on how clubs in Europe can prepare their clubs to meet UEFA’s 2025 visions on topics like sustainability.

All in all, the second #Morethanfootball conference day in Utrecht was a great success. We look forward to what the next year will bring and can’t wait to meet again in Athens soon!