UEFA Foundation for Children to benefit from €50,000 Visa donation

UEFA women's football partner Visa has announced that it will be making a €50,000 donation to the UEFA Foundation for Children as part of its Player of the Match Award activation in Sunday's Women's Champions League final in San Sebastián, where VfL Wolfsburg will meet defending champions Olympique Lyonnais.

This season, Visa is offering the player who has the greatest impact on the final, the opportunity to choose one of the 245 projects supported by the UEFA Foundation for Children, to receive a €50,000 donation from Visa.

"The UEFA Foundation for Children aims to improve the lives of youngsters across the globe and we are delighted to be teaming up with Visa as together we can help even more disadvantaged children," said the UEFA Foundation for Children general secretary, Urs Kluser.

"Footballers are role models to children and Sunday's Player of the Match could become something even greater. By choosing the project which will receive the funding, this player will help improve the lives of hundreds, possibly thousands of disadvantaged youngsters."

The UEFA Foundation for Children uses football as a springboard to empower children around the world. This is achieved by setting up sporting and educational projects to give children a safe place to learn and play, which ultimately improves their prospects.

"There has never been a more important time to stand alongside women footballers, and throughout this year we have continued to strengthen our ongoing commitment to support the women's game at all levels," explained Adrian Farina, head of marketing, Visa Europe. "We are very proud of what we've already achieved through our partnership with UEFA women's football and, thanks to the support of the UEFA Foundation, we look forward to continuing this by directly supporting those using football for good."

In December 2018, UEFA announced a landmark seven-year partnership with Visa, who in the process became the first ever UEFA sponsor dedicated to women's football.

“This is a wonderful initiative by Visa to give the Player of the Match from Sunday’s final between VfL Wolfsburg and Olympique Lyonnais, the opportunity to make a potentially life-changing gesture,” said Nadine Kessler, UEFA’s chief of women’s football. “Football has the power to initiate positive change, by giving girls confidence, resilience and important life skills. This is why I am so delighted that through the UEFA Foundation for Children, this final will have a lasting legacy in helping to improve the lives of youngsters.”

The milestone agreement has made Visa a main partner of the UEFA Women's Champions League, the UEFA Women's EURO, the UEFA Women's Under-19 and U17 Championships and the UEFA Women's Futsal EURO until 2025, as well as UEFA's football marketing platform Together #WePlayStrong, which is aimed at getting more girls and women to play football.