Welcome through Football: Trubin and Bondar training

 On October 25, goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin and defender Valerii Bondar took part in a training session of the Welcome through Football project for 30 internally displaced children from Donetsk.
 
Trubin's сonfidence
 
Donetsk-born Anatolii Trubin not only supported the club's initiative, but also stressed the importance of such events for displaced children:
 
“This is a great step on the part of the club since a great many children have come from Donetsk. The main thing is that they believe in themselves and their strength.”

Important project
 
Shakhtar Social Director Inna Khmyzova spoke about the goals, football and social missions of Welcome through Football:
 
“Sessions are held twice a week. The qualified Shakhtar Social coaches work with the guys. This project means a lot to us because its participants are internally displaced children. Most of the club staff are displaced persons, and it’s important for us to organize such training for the children of our fellow citizens. But the project is not just about football - they hold here some motivational meetings with Shakhtar players, like today. Moreover, as part of the initiative, there will be additional career guidance training to make it easier for the guys to decide on their future professions, along with other activities.”

Recipe for success from Valerii Bondar
 
Valerii Bondar told what is necessary to achieve success in a sports career:
 
“It’s always difficult to leave home. I think football, as a passion, should inspire you. It’s very good that there are such projects and people who train displaced children. I wish the guys to primarily listen to the coaches and believe in the fact that it’s possible to reach some great heights.”

Oleksandr Bubnov (Donetsk) spoke about the session’s special features and shared his emotions after training:
 
“The training session lasts two hours, with much emphasis being placed on the warm-up. It’s crucial since all parts of the body need to be stretched well. It was interesting when the players came and handed out gifts. I wanted to ask them about the game against Real Madrid.”
 
The Shakhtar players handed the children T-shirts, had group pics taken and signed autographs.
  
We want to kindly remind you that the Welcome through Football project that is aimed at exchanging experience and developing a football-based social inclusion methodology, has been implemented with the support of the European Football for Development Network (EFDN) and the UEFA Foundation for Children. Foundations of six other European football clubs participate in it: Benfica (Portugal), Werder Bremen (Germany), Everton, Sheffield United (both based in England), Emmen (Netherlands) and Apollon Limassol (Cyprus).