Grassroots Week: How UEFA Football in Schools benefits millions of students
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
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With the UEFA Football in Schools programme renewed for four more years, we highlight some of the brilliant initiatives helping children on and off the pitch across Europe.
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Since its launch in 2020, more than three million children across Europe have enjoyed access to the game thanks to the UEFA Football in Schools programme.
Millions more will now get the same opportunity after Football in Schools was renewed for four more years, with a further €11 million to be invested in the programme through to 2028.
During UEFA Grassroots Week 2024, Football in Schools is at the forefront of the celebrations, including in Czechia, where UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin attended a fun-filled exhibition match that involved local schoolkids playing against UEFA ambassadors Luís Figo, Éric Abidal and Aljoša Asanović, as well as Czech legends including Patrik Berger, Vladimír Šmicer and Jan Koller.
These boys and girls are among the 44,000 children that have benefitted from the programme in Czechia, with grassroots coaches visiting approximately 2,000 schools across the country, while 1,900 teachers have attended "School in Movement" seminars that equip them with the skills to deliver grassroots coaching sessions.
Czechia is just one of many countries to benefit from UEFA Football in Schools – here is how the programme is impacting children across the continent.
Denmark: 'Mind, Body, Club'
The Danish Football Association’s 'Mind, Body, Club' project has paired 95 schools with football clubs, involving more than 9,000 students and 200 teachers.
The project takes place over three days, with the first two focusing on mental and physical health followed by a final day of activities at a local club.
Teachers are shown how to incorporate football into PE lessons, while teenage students have the chance to become a volunteer coach.
"As well as trying to create sustainable links between schools and local clubs, we have seen how the club day in particular changes something in the mindset of the adolescents," said Tina Enestrøm, project manager at the Danish Football Association. "They were able to see for themselves how they were making a difference."
Ukraine: Training teachers
More than 500 schools and 14,000 students in Ukraine have benefitted after 1,700 teachers completed a course designed to help children access football.
They took part in lectures, seminars and practical sessions which touch on current training trends, laws of the game, communication methods and lesson structures.
Children benefit through high-quality football sessions in schools, as well as organised tournaments and festivals, before being guided towards local clubs dependent on their ability levels.
"Our aim is simply to make the programmes as inclusive as possible. Irrespective of gender, age, or physical ability, we want to run football everywhere, and for everyone."
Lithuania: Schools and grassroots partnerships
Almost 40,000 children in Lithuania have been part of an innovative relationship between schools and youth football teams.
Coaches from grassroots clubs host training sessions within the schools, before further opportunities are then offered to the students.
"We are trying to provide basic training to schoolteachers, as well as targeting older children too," said Ignas Marcinkevičius, head of grassroots at the Lithuanian Football Federation.
"If they decide not to continue playing themselves, we are encouraging them to consider a coaching or refereeing course. This ensures we try to keep pace with the growth in children playing, by also expanding the number of participants in other key roles."
Austria: Physical workouts in class
In Austria, almost 60,000 children from more than 1,100 schools have improved their physical health after teachers were trained to deliver workouts in the classroom.
"The concept starts with the teachers, and the goal is to ensure that they can deliver daily physical workouts in the classroom for their children," said Stefan Gogg, head of grassroots at the Austrian Football Association.
"We believe that by instilling this routine, it will create additional benefits such as improving the concentration spans of the children and teaching them to work together in teams."