How football associations are helping young people thrive with UEFA Take Care

Since its launch last year, the UEFA Take Care programme has been providing national associations, clubs, schools and communities with practical, evidence‑based tools to support healthier lifestyles and positive habits through the power of football.

Developed as part of our Football Sustainability Strategy, Take Care comprises six modules, each focusing on an area of daily life:

• physical activity
• nutrition
• mental health
• digital addiction
• substance awareness
• road safety

All resources are available for download via the UEFA Take Care Programme toolkit, with its flexible framework allowing it to be deployed in multiple contexts and shaped by those delivering it – which national associations across all corners of Europe are doing to great effect.

Helping some of society’s most vulnerable

The Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) has been using Take Care materials to rethink how it delivers health education to young people in alternative care. For these children, who are navigating daily challenges around security, stability and belonging, structured health education is rarely a priority. Take Care offers an engaging and meaningful introduction.

The FFA has adapted the resources by breaking down key messages into small, manageable steps, ensuring it can be understood and absorbed by groups with different ranges of emotional and cognitive maturity.

Perhaps the most important adaptation is that sessions now begin with play, movement and connection – building trust before addressing topics such as mental health and emotional well-being.

"Our experience is a reminder that reaching the children who are hardest to reach is not about doing more, it’s about doing things differently," said the FFA's amateur football and social and environmental sustainability manager Nane Bakhshyan.

A vehicle for community engagement

In Northern Ireland, the Irish Football Association (IFA) has embedded Take Care into its existing school and community work, using football as a starting point for deeper conversations.

Take Care has been incorporated into IFA educational sessions delivered to young people aged 11 to 18, focusing on mental health and well-being, digital addiction and tackling racism.

Take Care resources are being used in the IFA's existing community work IFA

Working closely with teachers, youth workers and community partners, the IFA tailors sessions to reflect the lived experiences of young people from a wide range of backgrounds, including ethnically diverse and socially disadvantaged communities. Safe spaces are created for open discussion, with learning consistently linked back to football values such as teamwork, fairness and respect.

"The Take Care programme has been a powerful tool for us to engage young people in meaningful conversations around mental health, online habits and anti-racism," said Keith Gibson, inclusive football and sustainability manager at the IFA Foundation. "By using football and the UEFA Take Care resources as a common language, we’re able to address complex issues in a way that feels relevant, inclusive and impactful."

Equipping elite players for the world of modern football

In Greece, the programme is being delivered to elite footballers, with the Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) applying Take Care to the demands faced by its national team players from under-15 to under-19 age groups. In an era of constant connectivity and rising performance pressure, the focus has been on digital well-being and mental resilience as foundations for sustained excellence.

Through interactive workshops, players examine how digital overload affects concentration, sleep and decision‑making, while learning practical strategies such as device‑free periods before matches and bedtime. Sessions also address performance anxiety, helping the young talents understand how to manage internal and external pressures.

The HFF has incorporated Take Care into workshops for it's youth national teamsHFF

"In today’s environment, young athletes navigate a unique intersection of digital overload and performance pressure," said HFF social and environmental sustainability manager Yannis Charalampakis. "This project teaches them that mental clarity and emotional balance are just as vital as physical conditioning."

Each of these examples demonstrate the core aims of Take Care being realised: empowering people to make small, positive changes that add up to healthier, more balanced lives.