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 Partnerships and Fundraising Strategies, a Preliminary Analysis of the Sport Influence on Child Development, and Founding a Charity during a Global Pandemic we have contacted to share their expertise with you:

Tomas Abreu (Brentford FC Community Sports Trust)

Tomas Abreu, Marketing and Partnerships Manager at Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, is the next confirmed speaker at our 16th EFDN Conference in Breda on 9 & 10 November 2021. 

Tomas Abreu is currently Marketing & Partnerships Manager, overseeing Marketing, Commercial, Fundraising and International Development work at Brentford FC Community Sports Trust. He joined the club’s foundation in 2015, while completing a MSc in Sports Management at Birkbeck College, University of London. Tomas is passionate about Sports for Development and using the power of sports and football to achieve tangible and creative partnerships and fundraising initiatives that make a difference in the local and wider community. Brentford FC Community Sports Trust and Brentford FC introduced in 2019 a new commercial and partnerships strategy to enhance and maximise current and new corporate partnerships and other collaborations. By joining forces with different departments and aligning resources, better results are able to be obtained. More recently, the Trust launched new and exciting fundraising initatives in line with Premier League promotion, find out more in this session.

Tomas will provide an insight to their Partnerships and Fundraising strategy. Since 2019, they have established a joined strategy with Brentford FC, to maximise commercial opportunities and drive the number of new corporate partnerships. Since then, the Trust was able to secure 24 corporate partnerships across different sectors, contributing to increasing significantly the Trust’s unrestricted funding stream. Additionally, they continue to grow and establish new fundraising initiatives and more than ever, they aim to work closely with Brentford FC to maxisime results. Both the partnerships and fundraising activities have in mind the UN Sustainable Development Agenda as a framework to establish the partnerships and to contribute to achieving specific goals.

Stefano Capellini (Inter Campus)

Stefano Capellini, Project Manager & Communication at Inter Campus, is the next confirmed speaker at our 16th EFDN Conference in Breda on 9 & 10 November 2021. 

Stefano Capellini is 34 years old, gained his Master Degree in Economics and Management of Innovation and Technology and has been Manager for Projects and Communication at Inter Campus since 2014.

After a short experience in Capgemini, a French IT Consulting company, he started his professional career in RCS, the main Italian editor. Here he worked as Digital Strategist for three years, dealing with innovative marketing solutions in favor of B2B clients. He also dealt with a specific department dedicated to start-ups which he was very passionate about. In 2014, he moved to Inter Campus, where he is project manager for Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, U.S.A. and Venezuela. He is also in charge of communication and partnerships, institutional relations and the Global Compact committee. During these years he had the opportunity to present the project in several universities and at the United Nations.

The presentation will focus on Inter Campus, a social responsibility program that supports social, religious, gender and racial equality in the world, using football as an educational tool, with specific attention to Children’s Rights. Keeping the Right to Play as an overall objective, we had identified secondary level goals according to contextual characteristics, local partners feedbacks, international reports on prevailing necessities: promoting education, fostering peace processes and intercultural dialogue (social, religious, gender), preventing youths from common threats (violence and substance consumption, both drugs and alcohol).
Due to a natural evolution of the project, mixed with the ambition of a punctual evaluation and a gap into the literature, since a couple of years, we decided to evaluate our activities and the effect produced on kids’ life development. With the support of scientific third parties, we started a research process that aims at analyzing not only the output produced by the activity, but also the outcomes according to the objectives, and possibly the impact on the community. Preliminary results are useful as internal benchmark for an improvement process, as dissemination tools for further actors willing to use sport as a social instrument and as concrete data certifying the potential role of football in children’s growing path.

Juri Monzani (Inter Campus)

Juri Monzani, Technical Manager at Inter Campus, is the next confirmed speaker at our 16th EFDN Conference in Breda on 9 & 10 November 2021. 

Juri Monzani is 34 years old. He holds a Master’s degree in Sports Science, has been a Technical Manager at Inter Campus since 2009 and is a UEFA B-licensed coach. He has been a football coach since he was 16. Juri has been working with children and teenagers from 6 to 16 years old. He studied Sports Science at the University of Milan, which gave him a good theoretical basis. Yet, the main lessons of football he has learnt on pitches in 21 countries all around the world. He has worked with children of different cultures and social levels, teaching them not only technical skills of football, but also its philosophy and life skills. For the last 8 years he has been sharing his knowledge of football strategies and pedagogy while educating other coaches, in Italian and foreign languages. His main interests are traveling and sports. He likes swimming, cycling and taking part in competitive races like triathlons and marathons.

The presentation will focus on Inter Campus, a social responsibility program that supports social, religious, gender and racial equality in the world, using football as an educational tool, with specific attention to Children’s Rights. Keeping the Right to Play as an overall objective, we had identified secondary level goals according to contextual characteristics, local partners feedbacks, international reports on prevailing necessities: promoting education, fostering peace processes and intercultural dialogue (social, religious, gender), preventing youths from common threats (violence and substance consumption, both drugs and alcohol).
Due to a natural evolution of the project, mixed with the ambition of a punctual evaluation and a gap into the literature, since a couple of years, we decided to evaluate our activities and the effect produced on kids’ life development. With the support of scientific third parties, we started a research process that aims at analyzing not only the output produced by the activity, but also the outcomes according to the objectives, and possibly the impact on the community. Preliminary results are useful as internal benchmark for an improvement process, as dissemination tools for further actors willing to use sport as a social instrument and as concrete data certifying the potential role of football in children’s growing path.

Tom Hutton (Foundation 92)

Tom Hutton, Head of Foundation at Foundation 92, is the next confirmed speaker at our 16th EFDN Conference in Breda on 9 & 10 November 2021. 

Tom Hutton is an experienced charity leader with over 10 years direct leadership experience within the charity sector, specifically skilled in the development and management of effective partnerships between, Football Clubs, Statutory organisations, third sector organisations and corporate organisations. Specific areas of interest and expertise include: Corporate partnership management and creation, Innovation and community engagement, Social Inclusion, Health Improvement, and Violence Reduction/Reduction of offending behaviour.

Tom will be presenting on the challenge of launching a charity within a global pandemic. How did this take place? What challenges did the charity face? How were these overcome? How did the charity adapt to meet the needs of the acute and chronic needs of the community? As the pandemic evolves, how has the charity developed into a one of Greater Manchester’s most prominent charitable partners, enabling those most marginalised to reach their potential?

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