Photograph by Marvin Ibo Güngör/LOC/Marvin Ibo Güngör
European Soccer Week (EFW) is returning for its 24th version, promising a vibrant celebration of soccer because the actually common sport for gamers of ALL talents.
This extremely anticipated annual initiative by Particular Olympics Europe Eurasia (SOEE) will interact over 35,000 athletes in 350 occasions throughout 45 nations. Each Might, EFW energises the European soccer neighborhood in any respect ranges and this yr might be no completely different. Over 100 soccer golf equipment and 45 nationwide soccer federations have signed as much as the 2024 version and the marketing campaign is as soon as once more receiving highly effective help from UEFA Respect.
“Particular Olympics European Soccer Week represents the perfect of our motion: positioning inclusive grass roots sport to drive social inclusion and unity for nearly 1 / 4 of a century. This message has been entrance and middle, and has generated elevated impression, engagement and visibility throughout Europe Eurasia because it reaches extra athletes, coaches, followers and extra moments of excellence from the athletes of Particular Olympics. From tournaments to workshops to coaches’ trainings and past, #EFW2024 is a celebration of the transformative energy of sport, and the urgency of inclusion, on and off the soccer pitch.”
David Evangelista, Particular Olympics Europe Eurasia President
EFW is an annual spotlight within the Particular Olympics sports activities calendar. Since its inception in 2000, it has seen the beginning of greater than 7,900 native, nationwide and worldwide soccer actions, contributing immensely to altering attitudes in the direction of gamers with mental disabilities and increasing inclusive soccer alternatives for all.
Thanks partially to EFW in recent times, alternatives for Unified Youth have witnessed important progress. Unified Sports activities groups are comprised of an equal mixture of gamers with and with out mental disabilities. Whereas solely 14 nations provided Unified coaching and competitions 20 years in the past, that quantity has now risen to 48 nations.
Photograph by Marvin Ibo Güngör/LOC/Marvin Ibo Güngör
This highly effective partnership with UEFA has performed a pivotal function within the evolution of European Soccer Week over the previous 24 years. Annually, a whole lot of golf equipment from European Leagues, such because the Italian Serie A and Serie B, German Bundesliga and Polish Ekstraklasa, lengthen their help to people with mental disabilities.
This yr, 45 UEFA member associations will help Particular Olympics soccer and promote soccer as a sport for all.
UPS Europe and Toyota Motor Europe (TME) have additionally turn out to be key supporters of the initiative in recent times, each funding grassroots soccer occasions and offering worker volunteers at actions throughout the continent.
Different essential companions embody EFDN who inform the soccer neighborhood about Particular Olympics work by way of their “Greater than Soccer” initiative and ICoachKids whose assets are nicely utilized by coaches and bodily training lecturers world wide.
Evangelista added, “We’re so pleased with our long-standing partnership with UEFA. Your collaboration helps be certain that European Soccer Week takes its rightful place as a key fixture of the European footballing calendar every year, exhibiting the world that soccer is certainly the Lovely Sport for ALL.”
“The help of native, nationwide or worldwide companions has been key to the expansion of European Soccer Week in final 20 years, and we look ahead to constructing on this success within the years forward.” For extra info on European Soccer Week 2024, please contact:
Miroslaw Krogulec (Sports activities and Competitors)
Aoife O’Grady (Communications)