UEFA Champions Festival unites people in Kiev
NewsIFCPF is delighted to have been involved in the UEFA Champions League Final activities in Kiev over the past week, promoting opportunities and showcasing the beautiful game of CP Football.
The UEFA Champions Festival in Kiev began on 24thMay, running through 27th May. UEFA engages it’s Football Social Responsibility partners to utilise this interesting football event to showcase the power of football and its ability to bring all people together.
The CP Football activities were organized by the International Federation of CP Football (IFCPF), with the support of the Saint Andrew Charity Foundation (Kiev), the National Committee of the Sports of Disabled of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Center for Physical Culture and Sports people with disabilities "Invasport".
Sam Turner - IFCPF Secretary General:
"UEFA kindly provide IFCPF, along with the other FSR partners, an amazing opportunity to promote our beautiful sport and the potential it has for people with Cerebral Palsy and related neurological conditions.
The activities in Kiev have showcased to people from all over the world, the dream of being a gold medal winning paralympic athlete in the Ukrainian national team; along with the heart warming first steps onto the pitch for young players who thought playing football was impossible.
We are fortunate to have fantastic members, partners, supporters and iconic role models such as Cafu who can see the power CP Football has to transform lives and give everyone their chance to play football."
UEFA have produced a short highlights video of the UEFA Champions Festival:
“A fantastic few days with #EqualGame at the the #UCL & #WUCL finals week here in Kyiv With support of mayor @Klitschko @officialcafu and @GaizkaMendieta6 and our football social responsibility partners @ICRC @tdh_ch @farenet @SpecialOlympics @cafefootball @ifcpf @FFUKRAINE”
Click here: https://twitter.com/UEFA/status/1000710595954593793
Cafu
UEFA Ambassador and supporter of CP Football, former Brazilian international and World Cup winner Cafu, came along to meet the young players:
“The #UCLFinal means a lot to football fans around the world, but it’s great to be part of something even bigger than that. Today I had the chance to play with these kids that have brain paralysis and also to be part of a amputees football match. This is sport is for everyone, and I really believe that it can change a person’s life.”
Click here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BjKx2iFFHB2/?taken-by=official_cafu
“...this beautiful moment between @officialcafu and a young boy with cerebral palsy in Kyiv #MondayMotivation #EqualGame #UCLfinal”
Click here: https://twitter.com/UEFA/status/1001011377241247745
Saint Andrew Charity Foundation:
“We express our personal and hearty thanks to the international Federation of CP Football and UEFA Champions League.
Exactly this person gave some professional advice to our kids! As you can see – this is our small photo report on how these young athletes learned from Cafu during the yesterday's CP football match on the UEFA field within the framework of the Champions League in Kyiv.
We express our special and sincere gratitude to the IFCPF - International Federation of CP Football, Sam Turner and the UEFA Champions League”
Click here: https://www.facebook.com/saintandrew.charityfoundation/
National Committee of the Sports of Disabled of Ukraine:
“On May 24, in front of the UEFA Champions Festival, the players of the national Paralimpic team of Ukraine showed the master class youth paralimpic team.”
Click here: https://www.facebook.com/NationalSportsCommitteeOfTheDisabledOfUkraine/
UEFA Football Social Responsibility Programme
Football is an integral part of global society and, as arguably the world’s most popular sport, it has an invaluable role to play in driving social development and bringing its influence to bear.
The UEFA approach to social responsibility is carefully structured and designed to both create and retain long-term benefits for society through football. The core directives of the UEFA social responsibility portfolio are based on a selection of five-year strategic partnerships which strive for antidiscrimination and diversity, social integration and reconciliation, active and healthy lifestyle, implementing football for everyone as well as funding an important series of football foundations and charity programmes.
UEFA recognises the essential nature of social responsibility and football and this includes fair play on the pitch. For example, all fines imposed by the Control and Disciplinary Body are automatically reinvested into the social responsibility programmes outlined above.
Find out more here: https://www.ifcpf.com/development/uefa-football-social-and-responsibility