A place to play and belong: The UEFA Foundation’s impact in Greece
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
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Across Greece, the UEFA Foundation is supporting projects that use football to remove barriers, strengthen communities and ensure more children have the opportunity to play in a safe and enjoyable environment.
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From Thessaloniki to Athens and Lesvos, football is creating opportunities far beyond the pitch. Through partnerships with local organisations, the UEFA Foundation for Children has supported initiatives that assist refugee communities, empower disadvantaged young people and make sport more accessible to children with disabilities.
Creating opportunities through football
Based in Thessaloniki, A Ball For All has developed an innovative mini football containing a sound mechanism, enabling blind and partially sighted children to play at school, in clubs and alongside their peers.
Approved by the Hellenic Ministry of Education, the project provides the specially designed balls to mainstream and specialised schools free of charge, helping to build a more inclusive education system in which every child can participate.
For Loukia, that opportunity was transformative. "Until that moment, I felt isolated. But with this ball, I could play with my brothers, with friends, and then at school. It was my first step into inclusion," she said.
Loukia's journey has since taken her to major sporting events, representing blind football and demonstrating what meaningful access to the game can make possible.
The Foundation has also supported ActionAid Hellas’ RISE – Beyond Goals programme in Thessaloniki and Athens. Combining football with educational and psychosocial support, the initiative helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds build resilience, develop leadership skills and play a more active role in their communities. It has also shared its approach with schools, sports clubs and civil society organisations across Greece, extending its impact to more children.
In Athens, Roots and Routes: Sporting Futures is using regular, mainly football-based sessions to support unaccompanied minors and refugee children growing up amid displacement and uncertainty.
Delivered by Organization Earth, the 18-month programme combines sport with health, environmental education and soft-skills workshops. It also brings refugee children and local young people together, while training professionals to use inclusive, trauma-informed and gender-sensitive sporting methods.
On the island of Lesvos, Cosmos FC uses football to provide stability and a sense of normality for young refugees while strengthening connections with the local community. Through the Foundation-supported Living Together Greece initiative, regular training, matches and educational activities created opportunities for refugee and local players to meet, overcome divisions and develop mutual understanding.
From local communities to European finals
The Foundation’s work in Greece has also brought children supported by its partners closer to European football.
Both the 2023 UEFA Super Cup and 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League final provided opportunities for children from Greek partners to attend pre-match training sessions, come face to face with players and even accompany the teams onto the pitch ahead of kick-off.
“It was amazing to see the joy on the kids’ faces,” said Eleni Loumaki of ActionAid Hellas. “Their enthusiasm reminded us why football is an international language.”
From regular activities in schools and communities to unforgettable experiences at major finals, each UEFA Foundation initiative reflects the same principle: every child is a champion.