UEFA's social work pays off

As European football's governing body, UEFA plays an integral role in maintaining and improving the health of the game – but its activities are by no means restricted to the playing field. Indeed, away from the glamour of the big European club and national-team encounters, UEFA's Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility works diligently behind the scenes with trusted partners, charitable organisations and national football associations to reinforce the health and integrity of football and society as a whole.  

New projects
A new portfolio of social responsibility projects for 2007-2011 was approved by UEFA's Executive Committee last year, and already several new projects are under way, with the latest progress being discussed in a meeting held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon. The range of activities are varied and extensive. Earlier this month, UEFA presented a CHF1m cheque to the Hellenic Football Federation to help finance the rebuilding of football facilities damaged by recent fires in Greece. Meanwhile, new partnerships have been established with organisations such as Terre des Hommes, Education 4 Peace and the World Heart Federation, and long-standing relationships with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Special Olympics Europe Eurasia, Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) and the Danish-based Cross Cultures Projects Association are being further developed.  

Education
UEFA's first vice-president Senes Erzik is the chairman of the Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility, and he explains that the committee's primary objective is to help educate young people and instil key values in society using the powerful medium of football. "This committee is doing a very important job," Erzik told uefa.com following the latest meeting. "Our mission is to help educate young people, starting at the grassroots level. It is vital that we, as football's governing body, take the initiative in teaching those of a young age about the importance of respect. We want them to recognise fair play and to understand that football is not about winning at all costs."

Respect the rules
Erzik continued: "Unless we educate young people, we cannot achieve our targets regarding fair play at a professional level. I am not only talking about the players, but everybody involved in football: the players, referees, officials, managers, administrators and the institutions. They will all function better so long as fair play and social responsibility rules are being respected." 

Social cohesion
Football's immense popularity and widespread accessibility mean the sport can contribute significantly to health and social cohesion in Europe, and Erzik is conscious of the impact that the players' behaviour can have on society in general. "Football has a lot of power," said the honorary president of the Turkish Football Association. "Nothing in the world reaches out to people as football does, which is why the game has a responsibility to be a role model. For us, there is a great social responsibility to work with projects that can make the world a better place. Our role is to teach young boys and girls about solidarity and teamwork. We teach them to work together, to respect their opponents, to respect the rules of the game and the environment. Through football we can create a different world."

Helping associations
The ability to operate in harmony with the national associations represents an essential aspect of UEFA's efforts to support society, and their recent collaboration with the Greek FA highlights the benefits of establishing close relationships. "Our president Michel Platini suggested the initiative of helping Greece after the fires that had done so much damage, including to sports facilities," Erzik said. "The football world must look out for its own during the bad days – and that's what we have done by helping finance the construction of two new stadiums and training facilities. This is a good example of how we deal with our social responsibility."

EURO opportunities
For Erzik, UEFA EURO 2008™ represents a particularly good opportunity to promote social responsibility and fair play by supporting a host of social and humanitarian causes. UEFA has been working with the ICRC for over a decade, promoting the protection of children in war at UEFA EURO 2004™, and the organisation has been selected as the official charity at this summer's championship. Their new campaign, 'Score for the Red Cross', enables fans to buy virtual goals online, with proceeds going to landmine victims in Afghanistan. UEFA has pledged €4,000 for each goal scored. The campaign will have a platform on the tournament website www.euro2008.com, so that it reaches as many football fans as possible.  

Busy schedule
Several other fundraising events have been organised in what promises to be a busy few weeks. The UEFA EURO 2008™ quarter-final stage will be dedicated to disabled players, with the 'Football for All' (abilities) campaign including pre-match games involving blind players, Special Olympics players, Cerebral Palsy players and Paralympic players from various UEFA partners. The semi-finals, meanwhile, will focus on anti-racism as UEFA teams up with unitedagainstracism and the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network. School groups, fan embassies and environmental specialists have also been chosen as UEFA partners at (UEFA) EURO 2008™. "There have never been so many activities before – and this demonstrates something very important: we are not simply organising a football tournament," Erzik stressed.