The social responsibility era
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
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The Portuguese Football Federation is reinforcing its social responsibility work - including one particular initiative to promote respect across the game.
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The Portuguese Football Federation’s activities away from the pitch may not fill back pages in the way the conquest of the EURO 2016 trophy has, but one of the greatest changes to the federation during the last eight months has been the importance placed on social responsibility work and the creation of a public relations and social responsibility department.
One of the first initiatives of this new department was to team up with the Portuguese professional players’ union and the Portuguese referees’ association in a campaign to promote respect across the game, under the slogan ‘On the pitch we all play the same game’.
A lot of important work has been undertaken to combat discrimination of all kinds. The federation, with the national team head coaches and players, male and female, has been supporting important actions such as the fight against domestic violence and child abuse, and has been a proactive presence within the local community.
The Portuguese Football Federation has also launched workshops for deaf referees and has been helping children in institutional care and grown-ups who, for social or financial reasons, may be unable to acquire safe and adequate housing.
This article first appeared in UEFA Direct 165
