UEFA Foundation for Children activities during UEFA EURO 2020
In light of the positive impact of the social projects run by the UEFA Foundation for Children and its partners during UEFA EURO 2016, the foundation will oversee all charitable projects associated with this year’s tournament.
The UEFA Foundation for Children reflects UEFA’s desire to play a more active role in broader society and use football and its popularity to create a better world. Established in 2015, the foundation is a charitable organisation governed by Swiss law. It defends the rights of underprivileged children and helps them to have better lives, develop their potential and find their place in the community, all through the beautiful game. Since 2015, it has invested in a total of 318 projects in 116 different countries, for the benefit of more than 1.1 million children. Currently, 168 projects around the world are supported by foundation funding.
Mission
The UEFA Foundation for Children seeks to uphold the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Its main priorities are: (i) support children’s health, especially children with disabilities; (ii) help improve the living conditions of young refugees; (iii) promote children’s access to sport; (iv) help children thrive by encouraging their personal development; and (v) provide material support for sport and education. In addition to those priorities, the UEFA Foundation for Children has recently added an extra focus on employability, to support young people in their social and professional integration through sport.
1. Children’s Smiles
Location: Stadiums in Copenhagen and Saint Petersburg
Dates
Copenhagen: 12/06 – 17/06 – 21/06 – 28/06
Saint Petersburg: 12/06 – 16/06 – 21/06
The foundation will use the power and excitement of this pan-European football tournament to make a positive impact on the lives of children, especially those living in precarious situations in the host cities. This programme aims to give 8–16 year-olds in disadvantaged communities and 8–21 year-olds living with disabilities the opportunity to attend a EURO 2020 match and feel part of the event.
2. Player mascot programme
Location: Stadiums in Amsterdam, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome and Seville
Matches: #2 to #48
Takeaway.com – a EURO 2020 official sponsor – will give underprivileged children in host cities the opportunity to be player mascots, picking the lucky youngsters with the foundation’s help to take part in the matchday pitch activities. The opening match, semi-finals and finals will be included in this programme as well as the venues in Baku and Saint Petersburg.
3. Interactive Robot 2020
Location: Stadiums in Budapest, Munich and Seville
Dates
Budapest: 16-9/06 – 23/06
Seville: 14/06 – 19/06 – 23/06
Munich: 15/06 – 19/06 – 23/06
The UEFA Foundation for Children is working with the Eric Abidal Foundation to enable hospitalised children to share in the EURO 2020 experience, by using a remote-controlled robot to connect with the stadium from their hospital bed before the match. They will experience the pre-match atmosphere behind the scenes and be able to interact with players in their favourite team.
4. Football for Unity festivals 2020
Location: Football villages in Amsterdam, Budapest, Copenhagen, London, Munich and Rome
Supported by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), these festivals will use the tournament’s unique multi-country structure to host seven events that share European best social inclusion practices with the rest of the world through football. They will bring disadvantaged European youngsters together, with a focus on foreign nationals and refugee/migrant women.
Festivals accessible to media and public:
| Venue | Dates / Times | Activities |
| UEFA Football Village – Budapest Heroes Square and City Park Ice Rink | Saturday, 19 June 9:00 – 13:00 | Fair Play Football Gala (tournament) |
| Fulvio Bernardini Sport Center– Rome Via dell’Acqua Marcia, 51 – 00158Roma | Saturday, 19 June 15:00 – 20:00 | football for inclusion tournament, youth forum/workshop |
| UEFA Football Village – Copenhagen Ofelia Plads | Friday, 25 June 15:00 – 19:00 | football for inclusion tournament, youth forum/workshop |
| A.V.V. Zeeburgia Kruislaan 244, 1098 SM, Amsterdam | Saturday, 3 July 13:00 – 18:00 | football for inclusion tournament, impactful side events and integration activities |
| Black Prince Trust https://blackprincetrust.org.uk/ | Saturday, 10 July 10:00 – 18:00 | Football tournament, mural painting, skill zones, youth forum/ workshops |
5. Football for Employability
Location: Puskás Ferenc Stadium in Budapest
This project is supported by FedEx – an official sponsor of EURO 2020.
Football helps young adults who are struggling to enter the job market, involving them in vocational training, personal development programmes and educational activities to improve their job-seeking skills. Beneficiaries of this programme will join the EURO 2020 volunteer programme.
6. Second Life
Location: All venues
At the end of EURO 2020, local charities working with underprivileged children will be given surplus materials from the tournament, which will benefit those children and leave a positive legacy.
7. UEFA Foundation for Children photo exhibition
Location: HQ Hotel – London
Date: 5 – 10 July
The UEFA Foundation for Children will stage a photo exhibition promoting children’s rights, raising awareness of the living conditions of disadvantaged children around the world and showing how football can have a positive impact on their lives.
8. Foundation partners
A Ball For All project by Youthorama: awareness of blind football
Location: Football Village Budapest
Date: 21 June, 12:00 – 16:00
Activity: Experiential safe fun activities for everyone.
Date: 22 June, 15:00 – 19:00
Activity Blindfolded penalty shoot-out with the participation of the Hungarian blind football academy and a group of young Greek volunteers.
Date: 23 June, 15:00 – 16:00
Activities with famous sports athletes/role models and interview opportunities
750 free special mini footballs with the project logos will be distributed to all children with a visual impairment at kindergarten or elementary school throughout the country.
Location: Football Village Rome (Booth name is “KIDS”)
Date: 11 June to 11 July
Activities – Social Kick Up Challenge/ Tic Tac Toe/ Mini Football
Location: Football Village London (City Hall)
Date: 19 June to 11 July
Activities – Social Kick Up Challenge/ Tic Tac Toe/ TeqBall/ Mini Football/ Euro Quiz
Location: Football Village London (Trafalgar Square)
Date: 10 July
Activity: A session to discuss about the ELEVEN – Philanthropic Documentary , screening the trailer and discussing about the values of sport.
Location: Football Village Copenhagen
Date: 27th June
Activity: Julie, who is from Copenhagen and the Danish representative in the ELEVEN – Philanthropic Documentary, will participate at a panel with current female national team players to discuss about youth, education, travel and of course football.
The trailer of the ELEVEN – Philanthropic Documentary is screened in all the Football Villages that the EURO2020 takes place.
How can broadcasters get involved?
Football has the power to change children’s lives for the better. By covering the UEFA Foundation for Children’s activities, you will be helping to send meaningful messages of dignity, inclusion and hope to a worldwide audience of millions.
Additional information, such as on media events or interview opportunities, will be published in due course.
