Vodafone Foundation Support Secures Successful Special Olympics European Football Week in Six Countries

The ninth annual Special Olympics European Football Week was held 25 April-3 May, 2009. This year the focus was on Unified Football activities with young players aged 14-25. Special Olympics Unified Sports® combines players with (called Athletes) and without (called Partners) intellectual disability on the same sports teams for training and competition. The goal is to break down barriers in the community and to build awareness and tolerance on and off the playing field.

The Vodafone Foundation is supporting the Special Olympics Youth Unified Football development with a £500,000 grant for three years. Between 2008 and 2010 these funds are being used to engage 6000 new young Unified football players in regular training and competition in local community teams in six countries in Europe: France, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Italy and Great Britain. During the Special Olympics European Football Week various events highlighted the Vodafone Foundation-supported project in these countries. Activities included:

In ROMANIA 850 players engaged in a series of 7 local, regional and national Unified Football competitions between April 25 and May 3 across the country. The Sports Universities in Cluj and Targoviste and Gura Humrului were organized the regional tournaments in their cities in partnership with the local Special Olympics organizations. 14 new coaches were trained for Unified Football coaching in a seminar held in Buzau on April 27.

In ITALY 11 Youth Unified Football tournaments were organized in 8 regions stretching from the North to the South of the country between April 27 and May 3. In total 3500 players in 5-a-side and 7-a-side teams representing inclusive schools and local clubs celebrated the spirit of football.

Special Olympics TURKEY celebrated the European Football Week between  April 25 and May 3 with six local and regional Unified Football tournaments in 6 regions of Turkey. In total   35 Unified football  teams took part in the events from 19 different cities  with a total of 400  players ( 260  athletes and 140 unifed partners). Besides a cooperative agreement  between Special Olympics Turkey and the  Akdeniz University  was signed on 24 April 2009. 155 volunteers from the Physical Education and Sports Department of the University helped to organize a multi sports event including football competition kicking off the partnership the same day.

In GREAT BRITAIN an event was held at the Tottenham Hotspur training ground to mark the support of the club and foundation for Unified football. 10 students with learning disabilities from the College of North East London played alongside 16 non-learning disabled volunteers from SO Great Britain’s partners FitFlop and National Grid at the Club's indoor training facility. The event consisted of a three-hour Unified Football training and competition session, led by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation coaches. Harry Redknapp, Robbie Keane and Ossie Ardiles teamed up for support of the event.

Special Olympics FRANCE organized 3 regional Youth Unified Football tournaments in Lille, Montaigue and Toulon in relation to European Football Week. 22 teams with 250 athletes and partners participated in those tournaments.

The Hungarian Football Federation invited Special Olympics HUNGARY players to attend 8 matches of the “Sopron League”. The Special Olympics players escorted the professional players to the field before the matches with the Special Olympics flag. In some matches the Special Olympics players had the chance to kick off. Media coverage was given by Duna TV and Sport 1 TV. Besides 18 male and 3 female Unified Football teams, 210 players, participated in regional tournament of the Dunantul Region (in Western Hungary). Duna TV covered this event in its “World of Winners” show.

Photo: The Vodafone Foundation is supporting Special Olympics Youth Unified Football Development, here in Romania. (Courtesy of Special Olympics Romania)