Building on Fare’s continuous work to promote the involvement of women in football beyond the playing field and to show how football can contribute to the social inclusion of ethnic minorities, the 2016 Event Grants have been awarded to projects that will cast light on the topics during the Football People action weeks.

A total of twelve projects are being funded through the Fare Event Grants, with support of UEFA, including six conferences, a football road show and a touring football session, a football festival, the launch of a new football league, educational seminars and a street football festival.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Poland and Russia, grassroots projects will address the participation of women in football and the growth of women’s football, while in Finland Fare member Monaliiku will run an day-long festival to encourage and support refugee women to practice sport.

For the second consecutive year, Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI) will be touring around Ireland delivering football training sessions to disenfranchised youth and refugees and in Armenia a day-long conference will discuss the rights of refugees and strategies for inclusion.

Speaking on his experience SARI representative, Perry Ogden, said: “SARI are delighted to receive a grant again this year from Fare.

“The funding will help us activate the Football People anti-discrimination travelling road show whereby young SARI coaches from diverse ethnic backgrounds deliver anti-discrimination football training workshops to primary schools and youth groups across Ireland.

“It will also enable us to link up League of Ireland clubs with their local Direct Provision Centres and refugee communities for friendly matches in their stadiums and for young people from the Direct Provision Centres to attend a club match.”

A similar initiative will provide regular sporting activities and equipment in suburbs across France with the aim to motivate young people to participate in sport, promote social inclusion through sport and raise awareness about discrimination.

In addition, the Football People action weeks will see conferences in Scotland and Ireland address the issues around discrimination in football including sectarianism and creative tolerance programming and educational seminars will take place across Romania to promote debates on topics including discrimination against women, Roma and the LGBT community.

In England, the Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS) will organise the second D word-Diversity conference, designed to explore diversity and address the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in sports media.

The Football People Event Grants were first launched in 2013 to support national, international and transnational level interventions that have the capacity to generate a broader impact.

2016 successful applicants

Filiala Tecuci Asociatia Semper Musica (ASTM), Romania
Community youth organisation ASTM is to deliver educational seminars to groups of young students to debate topics surrounding discrimination towards women, the Roma community and LGBT. The aim of the event is to ensure school students in rural areas in Romania are made aware of the different issues that trigger discrimination. By incorporating football to the seminar, it makes this even a unique concept that integrates all members of the community.

The event will take place in Galati between the 06-25 of October.

Girl-Power Football Club, Russia
Girl Power is the largest football school for female amateur players in Russia.

During the Fare action weeks they will organise a football conference focusing on the rise of female football viewership and global interest in the sport. The conference will focus on how to increase the number of people watching and participating in women’s football.

Kick Racism Out of Israeli Football, Israel
In collaboration with the Israeli Football Association and the Israel Professional Footballers’ Association, New Israel Fund anti-discrimination campaign Kick Racism Out of Israeli Football are organising a conference and football tournament on grassroots initiatives on the issues around discrimination in society.

This event aims to use the power of sport to bring Jewish and Arabs together in Israel to educate children about tolerance, mutual respect and social inclusion. Professional and former players men and women will participate to provide inspiration to young people.

Monaliiku Wellbeing and Sports For Multicultural Women, Finland
Fare member Monaliiku will organise a one-day football festival entitled Football for Refugee Women in HS-Areena Helsinki during Football People action weeks.

The event consists of a football tournament, where teams of women will compete, and a sport fair, where involved partners will showcase their ideas and activities. The purpose of the event is to encourage and support refugee women to practice sport and to promote social inclusion.

Sarajevo Football Club 2000, Bosnia and Herzegovina
SFK 2000 Sarajevo will organise a street football event in Sarajevo, with the aim to promote gender equality, women in football and to raise awareness about women’s health.

The weeklong event will focus on Roma women, refugees and women that live in rural areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

She Plays Ltd, Poland
Women’s rights organisation She Plays Ltd, who work to change women’s football in Poland by providing the platform for women involvement in the sport, are creating a football league composed of approximately 12 teams in Warsaw.

The inaugural edition of the Amateur Football League for Women is due to start on the 9 October 2016.

Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI), Republic of Ireland
For the second consecutive year, SARI will organise a road show delivering anti-discrimination football training workshops in primary schools, community groups, youth centre, refugee communities and direct provision centres in all 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland.

The event will engage over 2500 people and its focus is primordial the social inclusion of migrants/refugees.

The Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS), England
BCOMS is organising D word-Diversity a one-day conference supported and attended by high profile sport media practitioners and designed to explore diversity, address the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities across all areas of sport media and discuss implementation plans and procedures for the next generation.

The Football Project CY, Cyprus
The Football Project CY will deliver a football conference to discuss the role women of women in football, challenges and opportunities for women in football focusing on the Cypriot experience.

The event entitled Women in Cyprus Football will have the participation of the football governing body Cyprus FA (CFA), women football players, referees, journalists and representatives of football clubs.

University of West Scotland/Nil by Mouth, Scotland
The University of West Scotland in partnership with the anti-sectarianism charity Nil by Mouth and Glasgow City Council’s anti-sectarianism charity Sense over Sectarianism will be addressing sectarianism and discrimination in a conference scheduled to take place in Glasgow on 21 October.

Union Francaise des Oeuvres Laiques d'Education Physique (UFOLEP), France
UFO'STREET is an initiative that aims to provide regular sporting activities and equipment in suburbs across France.

The year-long programme is due to start in November covering ten cities (Paris, Nantes, Lyon, Saint Dizier, Melun, Marseille, Avignon, Gueret, Lille and Lens), and aims to motivate young people to participate in sport, promote social inclusion through sport and raise awareness about discrimination. Several football tournaments will be organised during the event.

Youth Centre of Intercultural Communication and Education, Armenia
Youth Centre of Intercultural Communication and Education is organising a conference to discuss the rights of Syrian refugees and strategies for their integration in Armenia.

A football match will be played between refugees, local administration representatives and representatives of refugee organisations.