Charity

UEFA awards a deserving body its annual €1m charity cheque at the Monaco events which kick off each European club competition season.

The Monaco Charity Award was first launched in 1998 and is presented at the UEFA Champions League group stage draw on the eve of the UEFA Super Cup. The UK National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) was the recipient of the 2014 UEFA Monaco Charity Award.

Past winners
2013 - Johan Cruyff Foundation
The Johan Cruyff Foundation, which bears the name of the Dutch footballing great, creates safe places for children to practise sport and organises events to stimulate play and education – in particular by building Cruyff Courts, which are small artificial pitches, around the world.

2012 - Stefano Borgonovo Foundation
The Stefano Borgonovo Foundation is raising awareness of the research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Stefano Borgonovo, the former AC Milan and ACF Fiorentina striker of the late 1980s and early 1990s, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at the age of 42. It is a severe neurological condition that causes the progressive loss of all muscle function. The Stefano Borgonovo Foundation was set up by the former Italian international, his wife Chantal and eldest daughter Alessandra in 2008 with the goal of helping the 350,000 ALS sufferers worldwide. Stefano Borgonovo passed away in June 2013.

2011 – streetfootballworld
streetfootballworld is using the passion of football to bring together individuals and organisations and help young people build a better tomorrow for themselves.

The streetfootballworld network unites more than 80 organisations that use football's social power to approach social challenges such as crime, social integration, homelessness, employability and health prevention.

2010 - United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP)
UNOSDP is deploying the funds to five UN or UN-supported projects harnessing the power of sport, physical activity and play as instruments to improve the daily lives of persons in need. The recipient organisations work towards the accomplishment of the UN objectives, in particular the eight Millennium Development Goals.

The Office leads and coordinates the efforts of the UN system to promote understanding and support for sport as an engine for positive social change. This is based on the premise that sport is a fundamental right for all people, and that it should not be considered as an end in itself but rather as a means to trigger social uplift.

2009 – National Association for Disabled Supporters (NADS)
NADS represents more than 30,000 disabled football supporters in the UK and established the CAFÉ project – Centre for Access to Football in Europe – to raise disability awareness throughout Europe. NADS worked alongside UEFA and the host cities for UEFA EURO 2008 and the latest UEFA Champions League finals, advising on improved facilities and services. Significant improvements have included:

• additional wheelchair spaces and seating for ambulant disabled supporters
• audio commentaries for visually impaired supporters
• disabled toilets and refreshment areas
• disabled supporter liaison officers at each match
• disabled transport and taxi drop-off points.

2008 – European Leukodystrophy Association (ELA)
Founded in 1992, the ELA is an association for families affected by leukodystrophies. These are serious genetic diseases that destroy the myelin sheath – a protective covering around nerve fibres – in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Already active in France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, it will soon cover Germany and the United Kingdom too.

The CHF 1m cheque received by ELA ambassador Zinédine Zidane enabled the launch of a vast network development programme, aimed at ending the isolation of families in different countries, spreading information about leukodystrophies, and promoting dialogue between patients and health professionals.

• 250 families received IT equipment (laptop with webcam and internet connection) and training, allowing them access to the latest information on leukodystrophies.
• A new multilingual website was launched in 2009.

2007 – Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) 
The CPISRA was founded in 1978 to support athletes with cerebral palsy and related neurological conditions, and give them an opportunity to participate in sports. UEFA's sponsorship has helped the CPISRA to develop seven-a-side football in parts of Europe that did not previously play the sport, as well as enhancing coaching, educational and promotional materials.

• The CPISRA produced a DVD to promote seven-a-side football across Europe.
• In 2009 it staged an international championship in Arnhem in the Netherlands.

2006 – International Blind Sports Association (IBSA)
The IBSA offers a wide range of sports for visually impaired athletes, including two types of futsal – for totally blind players (B1) and for athletes who are partially sighted (B2/B3). The first category is one of the most popular sports at the Paralympic Games.

• With UEFA's support, the IBSA's Futsal Development Project Europe has staged seminars across the continent to educate more than 300 coaches and referees about blind futsal. Using the 'train the trainers' approach, delegates received basic training from IBSA-accredited coaches and referees in working with blind players, the tactics and rules of the game.
•The IBSA also produced a teaching DVD distributed to all European nations at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.