Shakhtar in European football development project
Thursday, April 27, 2017
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FC Shakhtar has joined The European Football for Development Network (EFDN) international programme, which unites the European clubs that are actively involved in social projects
The main objective of the EFDN is to promote football as a tool for the development of society, to help local teams and to make sports accessible to everyone.
These days, football is not just a game. It helps people achieve more, it stimulates them to take care of their health, contributes to fighting racism and unemployment among young people, and encourages volunteerism. Football can enhance individual development, self-confidence and convey the values of team spirit, fair competition and responsibility.
Currently, the European Football for Development Network involves almost 40 clubs, including England-based Manchester United, Tottenham and Everton, Germany-based Bayer, Schalke 04 and Wolfsburg, as well as Benfica, PSV, Panathinaikos and other leading European teams. Within the framework of the project, they share their knowledge and experience in the development of domestic and local football, there is a regular exchange of employees, volunteers and participants in social initiatives, they conduct international conferences and online training.
Shakhtar has become the first representative of Ukraine in this programme. The organization highly appreciated the Come on, Let’s Play! social project, which the Donetsk club has been successfully implementing since 2013. During this time, its geography expanded to six Ukrainian cities, with the total number of participants reaching 2,180. In addition, Shakhtar already has some successful experience of partnership with organizations such as FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe), CAFE (Center for Access to Football in Europe), FCSA (The Football Club Social Alliance) and the UEFA Foundation for Children, and of participation in the recent #Morethanfootball Action Week.
Besides, they pointed out at The European Football for Development Network that they share the philosophy of Shakhtar, welcoming the social initiatives of the club, and expressed the hope that this cooperation will benefit the development of Ukrainian and European football.
