Speaker update for the 16th EFDN Conference in Breda

Speaker update for the 16th EFDN Conference in Breda

The European Football for Development Network (EFDN) will host its 16th EFDN ‘Purpose and Sustainability’ Conference as a hybrid event from 8-10 November 2021 in the Rat Verlegh Stadium of NAC Breda, the Netherlands. So far, more than 150 representatives from 50 different football clubs, leagues, and national football associations of 17 European countries subscribed for the congress.

This conference is the perfect platform for organisations of all shapes and sizes to share ideas and develop new concepts. EFDN is excited to meet its members and partners again in person at the largest gathering of Community and Social Responsibility (CSR) experts in European professional football. Participants at the 16th EFDN Conference will discuss challenges occasioned by COVID-19 and share best practices on CSR strategies, fundraising, sustainability, women’s football, anti-discrimination, social inclusion, online safeguarding, physical activity and STEM education. It will be an excellent occasion for your organisation to join these experts and broaden your network on CSR in football.

This news article will give you an impression of some more of the knowledgeable and competent speakers in the fields of Women in Football and the Future of Football we have contacted to share their expertise with you:

Rivkah op het Veld (NOS)

Rivkah op het Veld, Sports journalist, presenter and reporter at the NOS is the next confirmed speaker at our 16th EFDN Conference in Breda on 9 & 10 November 2021. 

For almost ten years now she has been a sports journalist, specialized in women´s football but with a love and knowledge much broader than that. She is currently working on the podcast ‘De Schaduwspits’ about gay acceptance in professional football. She has also been lucky enough to host the EFDN conference in the last two years, both digitally due to the corona crisis. She is very much looking forward to seeing what an EFDN conference in real life is like and meeting you all in Breda.

Rivkah will host in the Women in Football Panel on Tuesday 9th of November at 04:30pm, together with Jessica Loo, Elixabete Sarasola and Yolanda Antin.

Yolanda Antin (Barça Foundation)

Yolanda Antin, Partnerships Coordinator at Barça Foundation is the next confirmed speaker at our 16th EFDN Conference in Breda on 9 & 10 November 2021. 

Yolanda has been working at Barça Foundation since 2009. Currently, she is the Coordinator of Partnerships and Collaborations for the Foundation, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, UNHCR, Fondation Lilian Thuram, Fundación Edmilson, and Fundación Leo Messi among others.
She is a Board Member of European Football for Development Network.
She is also the coordinator for internships for students of various universities which have agreements with the Barça Foundation.
Prior to her work at the Barca Foundation, and with more than 25 years of experience in academy and reseach, social intervention and internactional cooperation, she has been group manager and personal assistant at the Research Centre for International Health of Barcelona (CRESIB) at Hospital Clinic de Barcelona. She also worked for four years at Medecins sans Frontières, Spain.
She obtained a BA in Philology, Religion, History and Social Policy of the Middle East from the University of Barcelona (Spain), and a MA in Philosophy, Religion and Social Policy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel). She obtained a postgraduate qualification in Publishing of Scientific Texts by Pompeu Fabra University of Barcelona (Spain), and has also been trained in Project Management and Human Resources leadership.
Her experience and her professional interests are centered in the fields of corporate social responsibility, management of public-private entities, foundations, non-profit institutions or educational institutions with significant international profiles, and also in organizations engaged in public and international health research.
She has more than 25 years of experience in the design, execution and evaluation of projects related to education, inclusion, conflict resolution and diversity management. She has worked in prestigious institutions such as the Clinic Foundation for International Medical Research and Doctors Without Borders Spain.
She collaborate as a visiting professor at the University of Bradford, Department Peace Studies and International Development, (UK) and the Teaching Faculty of the University of Barcelona.

Yolanda will participate in the Women in Football Panel on Tuesday 9th of November at 04:30pm, together with Rivkah op het Veld, Elixabete Sarasola and Jessica Loo.

Robert Maaskant (EFDN)

Robert Maaskant, Programme & Partnerships Manager of EFDN, will be participating in our Future of Football Panel at our 16th EFDN Conference in Breda on 9 & 10 November 2021. 

Former player, manager and technical director, football pundit for ESPN and Dutch news channel NOS, ambassador of Women’s football, member of Sport Council of the Municipality of Breda and involved with the founding of political party, the Party for Sport. His football and manager’s career brought him to clubs in the Netherlands, United States, Scotland, Poland and Belarus. He became champions of Poland with Wisla Kraków. Now Manager operations and Sponsoring at EFDN.

Robert will participate in the panel on the Future of Football and discuss it with other panelists such as Urs Kluser from UEFA Foundation for Children, Meinolf Sprink from Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Louis Saha.

Eli Sarasola (Vantage)

Eli Sarasola, former professional football player and currently working at Vantage, is the next confirmed speaker at our 16th EFDN Conference in Breda on 9 & 10 November 2021. 

Former player, manager and technical director, football pundit for ESPN and Dutch news channel NOS, ambassador of Women’s football, member of Sport Council of the Municipality of Breda and involved with the founding of political party, the Party for Sport. His football and manager’s career brought him to clubs in the Netherlands, United States, Scotland, Poland and Belarus. He became champions of Poland with Wisla Kraków. Now Manager operations and Sponsoring at EFDN.

She is a retired professional football player. She played as a goalkeeper for Real Sociedad, FC Barcelona, College of Charleston in the American NCAA, AFC Ajax and PSV. She is currently working for a company called Vantage. They do individual video analysis and awareness training for professional football players.

Eli will participate in the Women in Football Panel on Tuesday 9th of November at 04:30pm, together with Rivkah op het Veld, Jessica Loo and Yolanda Antin.

Get your ticket for the 16th EFDN Conference in Breda here.