Thanks to everyone who helped with our appeal for Ukraine.

Thanks to everyone who helped with our appeal for Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine is threatening the lives and livelihoods of civilians across the country. Families have been separated. People have been injured. Lives have been lost. Millions of people have fled their homes to escape the war in Ukraine, they are leaving behind their belongings and loved ones.

Shakhtar Donetsk a member of EFDN, participates in setting and running an emergency ‘Shelter Centre’ in the stadium of Lviv, a city in the western part of Ukraine

Shaktar Donetsk

On the 10th of March 2022, EFDN launched an urgent appeal to all the EFDN member football clubs, leagues, and associations across Europe to support the initiative of Shakhtar Donetsk, with their emergency ‘Shelter Centre’ in the stadium of Lviv. The need for a safe haven is growing as terrified people leave their war-torn cities across the country. With only a few save havens left, Shakhtar and the local authorities utilise the stadium of Lviv for those who need it.

Many homeless people have already fled. The Shelter Centre will seek to support and accommodate many of these people as they try to escape the horrors sweeping their country. To succeed, Lviv Arena urgently needs Europe’s clubs and associations to supply essential items – particularly mattresses, travel cots, blankets, pillows, and bed linen.

Legia Warsaw

The Polish football club Legia Warsaw, together with their charitable arm Legia Foundation has offered their stadium as a collection and distribution centre for all the priority items needed in Ukraine. From there all the collected items will be distributed to the stadium of Lviv.

Here below we highlight a few of the initiatives of clubs that responded to our appeal:

Foundation 92

After this urgent appeal of EFDN, Foundation 92, the charity foundation of Salford City Football Club. Set up their initiative to collect stuff in the Greater Manchester area. On the 24th of March staff members of Foundation 92 took the ferry to the Netherlands with all their collected stuff. At the stadium of Feyenoord they met the EFDN crew to hand over in person all the goods.

The 29th of March, our colleagues Bram and Lisa drove all the way from the EFDN headquarters in Breda to the stadium of Legia Warsaw. To deliver all the stuff that has been collected and brought to the Netherlands by Foundation 92.

AFC Wimbledon

On the 6th of April, the International Day for Sport For Development and Peace, staff members of AFC Wimbledon and their foundation dropped off all the donations they got for the people in Ukraine.

Schalke Hilft

Schalke 04 also set up an initiative to collect stuff for Ukraine. On the 31st of March, they drove with lots of items to the headquarters of EFDN and hand over all their filled boxes. Those will be transported to the collection and distribution point at Legia Warsaw.

Aston Villa Foundation

The Aston Villa Foundation asked their fans and the local community to collect goods and donate them for Ukraine. They set up a drop-off point for all the donations at ‘The Villa Village at Villa Park’. The community could deliver their stuff until the 31st of March. After the deadline, the gathered materials have been sent to the emergency ‘Shelter Centre’ in Lviv, via Legia Warsaw in Poland.

EFDN’s CEO Hubert Rovers drove all the way to Birmingham to pick up all the stuff they had collected. The collected stuff is now temporarily stored at the headquartes of EFDN, but will be transported next week to the emergency ‘Shelter Centre’ in Lviv.

Chesterfield Football Club

Chesterfield Football Club has raised funds for relief efforts. At the Maidenhead United match and the academy game at Matlock Town they raised around £1.000. This amount is supplemented by the Spire Lotto winners. In total £1.200 has been sent to EFDN