Shakhtar Social and UEFA implemented a joint project in Ukraine
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
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The charitable organisations provided sports equipment to 32 schools across various regions
Shakhtar Social and the UEFA Foundation for Children successfully completed a project aimed at developing children’s football and supporting schools and football groups in 14 regions of Ukraine.
Over the course of a year, 32 schools received sports equipment for football training: more than a thousand items were purchased and delivered, including footballs, bibs, agility ladders and other essential training gear. Thanks to the project, 2,005 children from different regions of Ukraine can now play football on a regular basis.
Andrii Babeshko, Director of Shakhtar Social CO:
– This project is, above all, about children and their sense of a normal life. Today, Ukrainian children are growing up in challenging conditions, and football becomes a place of support and social connection for them. Together with the UEFA Foundation for Children, we wanted to ensure that kids in different communities have the opportunity to train regularly, be part of a team and simply enjoy their childhood. We are grateful to our partners for their trust. We will continue working so that as many children as possible in Ukraine have access to sport.
The programme covered 14 regions of Ukraine, allowing for a wide geographical reach and giving children access to sport. Special attention was given to the liberated and frontline areas, particularly to communities in the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Supporting children from internally displaced families was also a key priority: more than 500 young footballers joined training sessions and gained access to quality sports equipment.
Ruslan Bondarenko, physical education teacher at Tsvitkove secondary school levels I through III, Cherkasy Oblast:
– The provided equipment has significantly improved the quality of our training process. Students now have the opportunity to train with modern equipment, which has immediately increased their motivation and interest in sports. For a rural school, such support is especially important, as resources are often limited, while the desire to work with and develop children through sport is very strong. Projects like these help create better training conditions, open up new opportunities for students and foster a love of an active and healthy lifestyle.
Over the course of a year, 32 schools received sports equipment for football training: more than a thousand items were purchased and delivered, including footballs, bibs, agility ladders and other essential training gear. Thanks to the project, 2,005 children from different regions of Ukraine can now play football on a regular basis.
Andrii Babeshko, Director of Shakhtar Social CO:
– This project is, above all, about children and their sense of a normal life. Today, Ukrainian children are growing up in challenging conditions, and football becomes a place of support and social connection for them. Together with the UEFA Foundation for Children, we wanted to ensure that kids in different communities have the opportunity to train regularly, be part of a team and simply enjoy their childhood. We are grateful to our partners for their trust. We will continue working so that as many children as possible in Ukraine have access to sport.
The programme covered 14 regions of Ukraine, allowing for a wide geographical reach and giving children access to sport. Special attention was given to the liberated and frontline areas, particularly to communities in the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Supporting children from internally displaced families was also a key priority: more than 500 young footballers joined training sessions and gained access to quality sports equipment.
Ruslan Bondarenko, physical education teacher at Tsvitkove secondary school levels I through III, Cherkasy Oblast:
– The provided equipment has significantly improved the quality of our training process. Students now have the opportunity to train with modern equipment, which has immediately increased their motivation and interest in sports. For a rural school, such support is especially important, as resources are often limited, while the desire to work with and develop children through sport is very strong. Projects like these help create better training conditions, open up new opportunities for students and foster a love of an active and healthy lifestyle.
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