Open Fun Football Schools

This initiative was supported by The New Democracy Fund through the New Cooperation Fund.

About the project

This project is a further development of the Open Fun Football Schools + SSP in Ukraine and Moldova. The project is carried out with a view to exchanging experiences between partner organizations as well as strengthening the involvement of young people in society and addressing concrete social challenges in the respective countries.

The Open Fun Football School program uses the Danish summer football schools as a tool to promote reconciliation and peace between children and adults from adversarial population groups as well as promote gender equality, ethnic and social inclusion, and active citizenship.

Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the project adapted its activities to accommodate the changing needs. Specifically, it aimed to enhance the protection of Ukrainian internally displaced persons – and refugee children by providing psychosocial support through inclusive and safe Fun Football activities in western Ukraine and Moldova.

Throughout the project 168 women and men have been trained as volunteer leaders and coaches, who have subsequently organized Fun Football activities and psychosocial support for nearly 3000 children in Ukraine and Moldova of which 50% were internally displaced/refugee children. Furthermore, the project involved engaging different local stakeholders including sports clubs, schools and police, cooperating to improve child protection through sports with a special focus on IDP and refugee children.

About the organisations

Cross Cultures Project Association is an organization with headquarters in Denmark with a mission of using Fun sports as a tool to bring people to play and cooperate across ethnic, social, and religious divides and in this way contribute to peaceful co-existence, social cohesion, and resilience.

Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) was founded in 1991 and is the highest governing body for football in Ukraine. They administer the Ukrainian football divisions, the national team as well as the promotion of grassroots football for children.

All Ukrainian Foundation for Children’s Rights (AUFCR) is a leading Ukrainian children’s rights organisation, working to promote children’s rights, prevention of child delinquency and stigmatization, social services and social follow up for children in need, in particular for IDP-children.

Moldovan Football Federation (FMF) is the governing body of football in Moldova. They organize all football leagues, the national team and the development of grassroots football for children in Moldova. FMF is considered among the pioneering countries of UEFA in the field of “safeguarding children in football.

Project details