Open Fun still flourishing

Vital social project
This successful and vital social project, run by the Danish Cross Cultures Project Association (CCPA), aims to foster tolerance, integration and peaceful co-existence in the Balkans and Caucasus regions, and to bring youngsters joy through playing football.

Training seminars
In addition, another 2,000 voluntary coaches are attending training seminars which will help them to run the schools and coach the young footballers. "This summer we have asked municipalities and clubs to come forward with support," explained the project's managing director Anders Levinsen. "A minimum two neighbouring municipalities and three football clubs are being requested to jointly signal their interest by organising a football school and accepting to finance the CCPA coach and leaders' training seminars, which total between 60 and 80 hours.

Major demand
"In the Balkans, we only have a budget for 77 fun football schools - but we received more than 254 applications! And we have really been challenged to match our resources with the demand," Levinsen continued. "For example, we had an application from three municipalities in Central Bosnia that would like to put special emphasis on the promotion of girls' football - and more than 800 girls signed up for the school. We will try to solve this positive problem by running a double programme. We will organise a football school in the stadium during the daytime, then in the late afternoon we will organise a street-football festival in front of the town hall."

Croatian co-operation
Co-operation with national football associations is also flourishing. The running of Open Fun Football Schools is well integrated within the Croatian Football Federation's activities. "In Croatia, we have joined forces in the education of grassroots coaches," said Levinsen. "The FA endorses and monitors 40 hours from our educational programme. In order to meet the association's full requirements, the Croatian Coach Education Academy recently provided an additional 20-hour seminar for 84 coaches, including 24 female coaches. Consequently, by the end of the Open Fun Football Schools, 84 Croatian coaches will have fulfilled requirements for the association's C licence - endorsed by UEFA under the auspices of the Grassroots Charter."

Charter signatories
The Croatian FA signed the UEFA Grassroots Charter at a ceremony in Groningen, the Netherlands, last month. Click here to read the article.