Welcome Through Football Seminar in Edinburgh
At the seminar held in Edinburgh on September 27, 2023, the Welcome Through Football project was revisited, following its previous gathering on March 30 and 31, 2022, at the Weserstadion of Werder Bremen. During this gathering, project managers provided comprehensive updates on program delivery and discussed forthcoming strategies for implementing the project in the near future.
Welcome Through Football Project
The Welcome Through Football initiative is spearheaded by the European Football for Development Network (EFDN). Thanks to funding from the Erasmus+ program of the European Union and the UEFA Foundation for Children, this initiative is empowering ongoing projects across Europe. The central goal of the Welcome Through Football project is to foster the integration and inclusion of newly arrived young refugees, asylum seekers, and young individuals with migrant backgrounds.
EFDN and its partners are dedicated to devising and trialing a European methodology that harnesses the power of football as a means to engage refugees and migrants ranging from ages 7 to 25, promoting their physical and social involvement within European communities. Furthermore, the project provides valuable support to football coaches and youth workers by enabling them to develop and share effective strategies for reaching out to this marginalized demographic while actively combating racism and intolerance.
Partner clubs
The participating clubs are: Shakhtar Social, Sheffield United Community Foundation, Fundação Benfica, FC Emmen Naoberschap, Werder Bremen, Everton in the Community, Apollon Limassol, AEK Athens, Big Hearts Community Trust, Newcastle United Foundation, and KAA Gent. Together, they are driving positive change through the Welcome Through Football initiative, using the unifying power of football to build bridges of integration and inclusion for vulnerable young individuals in our communities.
