Football for every player: How Denmark, England and France are adapting the grassroots game
Thursday, September 24, 2026
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Across Europe, national associations are finding new ways to shape football around the people playing it, making the game more accessible and enjoyable for different ages and abilities.
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In Denmark and England, young people with disabilities are being provided with more opportunities to get involved in football, while the growth of walking football in France is opening the game up to people who would otherwise be unable to take part.
UEFA Grassroots Week celebrates this work, highlighting how our national associations are ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to play the sport. These examples show how shaping the game around the needs of players can help more people find – and keep – their place in football.
Denmark: Changing football to include every child
The right environment can help players feel comfortable, get involved and enjoy being part of a football team. That approach is at the heart of A Part of the Team, a national disability football project led by the Danish Football Association (DBU), its regional bodies and Parasport Denmark.
Since kicking off in 2023, the project has supported children and young people living with disabilities including autism, ADHD, intellectual disabilities and cerebral palsy.
Now a nationwide network, 57 grassroots clubs offer football to more than 900 disabled children and young people. Each club receives specialist coach education and practical materials, while local consultants help them build relationships with municipalities, special schools and other community partners.
This networked approach means clubs are not left to solve every challenge alone and helps to embed disability football within clubs and the wider local community.
"We stopped asking children with disabilities to fit into football. Instead, we changed football, so it fits every child."
England: Creating a place to play
Across England, Comets is giving young disabled players a positive first experience of football in an environment focused on fun and belonging.
The English Football Association's (FA) programme is designed so activities can be adapted to each child, creating a setting for participants to enjoy the game at their own pace.
During the 2025/26 season, 12,670 Comets sessions were delivered, with the FA training 240 schools on the programme to give more disabled children the chance to try football in a familiar and accessible environment.
The aim is not simply to provide a one-off experience. By linking schools with community provision, the FA is creating a clearer route into regular grassroots football for children who want to continue playing.
Coaches and volunteers are also equipped to adapt sessions effectively, with 750 trained last season to support Comets delivery across a range of abilities and needs.
The next phase will focus on growing opportunities in schools and grassroots clubs while strengthening the links between them, helping create a clearer pathway towards long-term participation.
"We believe that football should be accessible to everyone. This groundbreaking programme gives disabled young people their first chance to engage with the game."
France: Walking football steps up its growth
Across France, walking football is giving people of different ages and backgrounds another way to enjoy the game, with a format built around accessibility, connection and wellbeing.
Last season, the French Football Federation (FFF) continued to expand walking football as part of its wider work to diversify participation. The format is now offered by 167 affiliated clubs, creating a growing national network.
More than 80 teams took part in regional events during the season, with more than 300 participants expected at the National Challenge and Recreational Festival finals at the national football centre in Clairefontaine.
The FFF has also developed practical guidance for its network, alongside training and awareness sessions for coaches, volunteers and local leaders, offering financial support to regional leagues, districts and clubs to establish new activities and strengthen existing ones.
These three examples across Denmark, England and France show how football can reach more people when we adapt it for those who want to play.
That principle is at the heart of UEFA Grassroots Week – creating opportunities for more people to take part, enjoy the game and feel a sense of belonging.
European Week of Sport
UEFA Grassroots Week takes place during the European Week of Sport (23-30 September), which brings together millions of participants through hundreds of thousands of activities, encouraging people to make physical activity part of their everyday lives.
This year, the #BeActive campaign emphasises that sport and physical activity should be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of age, background or ability.