Let’s build bridges! Today we organized the first day of the Football for Unity Festival in Amsterdam. The aim? To connect third-country nationals with other youngsters of Amsterdam and enhance social integration. Didier Herbert, Head of the European Commission's Representation in the Netherlands and Urs Kluser, General Secretary UEFA Foundation for Children visited.
The Football for Unity is a two-day event that we organize as part of a bigger European initiative from the UEFA Foundation for Children, the Europese Union and Streetfootballworld. In June and July the Football for Unity Awareness Raising Festival take place in seven of the playing sites of EURO2020, parallel with the European Championship. An event with a huge social impact all over Europe. “Migration and asylum are major challenges for Europe. The Football for Unity project is based on shared European values, such as humanity and responsibility,” said Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA president and chairman of the UEFA Foundation for Children. “UEFA EURO 2020 is an ideal platform to show how football promotes social inclusion and multiculturalism. Football has the power to unite people and to promote difference as a strength.” The Cruyff Foundation is social partner and organizing party in host city Amsterdam.
Football Festival with a deeper layer
On July 3 and 4 there are build bridges between new and existing inhabitants of Amsterdam. Diversity is embraced and the social inclusion grows in all of the Amsterdam community. Participants of the Dutch Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers play with youngsters of Amsterdam and enjoy the 6 vs 6 tournament, participate in several side events and workshops to learn new skills. Los Barrenderos gives a clinic in street football and our partner Basic-Fit organizes the energetic warming-up.
Together with UEFA Foundation for Children, Streetfootballworld and thanks to the support of the Asylum, Migration and Integration fund of the European Union we can show the power of sports – football.
