02.07.2014

Event Grants awarded to projects in 12 countries

A total of thirteen organisations across twelve European countries will be funded to run anti-discrimination events during the Football People weeks this October.

The projects are being funded through Fare Event Grants, with support of UEFA, and will be among the highlights of this year’s campaign. The activities will include film festivals, theatre performances and launches of educational materials as well as conferences and round tables in countries including Bulgaria, England, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Poland, Portugal, Romania Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

A pool of €30,000 was made available to fund events during the two-week period in October, reaching supporters, clubs, leagues and the general public across Europe in a unified stand against exclusion and intolerance.

A further fund of up to €50,000 will open on the 1st August for small grants to fund general activities during the period.

Fare Executive Director Piara Powar said: “These initiatives will touch on a vast range of topics that are among our core concerns, such as the empowerment of ethnic minorities, gender equality, women’s football and LGBTI rights.”

“We received around 100 applications for the Event Grants which reiterate the ability of grassroots organisations across Europe to address social issues through football”.

The Football People Event Grants were first launched in 2013 to support national, international and transnational level interventions seeking to generate a long-term impact.

The 2014 successful applicants are:

Association "Thumende" Jiu Valley, Sibiu, Romania (06-11 October)
Production and screening of a documentary about a team of Roma judges who have a formed football team and organised football fixtures to counter Roma exclusion.

Bilitis Resource Centre Foundation, Sofia, Bulgaria (20-23 October)
Film festival on LGBTI rights, including the screenings of the films "Thokozani Football Club: Team Spirit", “Football under Cover”, “Il piccolo calciatore” and “Beyond the sight of society”.

A series of discussion panels and workshops will also be held during the period.

Black Collective Of Media in Sport (BCOMS), London, England (date to be confirmed)
A day long conference to promote and underline diversity among sports media. The day will include workshops and a Question and Answer (Q&A) session.

Centre for the Study of Football and its Communities, Manchester, England (22 October)
Roundtable discussion on inclusion through football. Production and launch of a tool kit and good practice guide, for clubs and organisations, with recommendations about on and off pitch engagement and participation of migrant communities.

Citizen's Watch, St.Petersburg, Russia (13-17 October)
Roundtable discussion on the issues of racism and discrimination in Russian football with Russian and NGO’s linking in with partners from neighbouring countries.

Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER), Glasgow, Scotland (date to be confirmed)
Conference to address racism and sectarianism in Scottish football organised in cooperation with Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers clubs.

East European Development Institute, Kyiv, Ukraine (15-26 September)
Conference on discrimination against Crimean Tatars and discussion on the role of Ultra groups in Ukraine’s in recent events and their impact in football.

Follow-up on the implementation of the Resolution signed in Kyiv, in October 2013.

Foul, Athens, Greece (date to be confirmed)
National conference on discrimination, gender issues and ethnic minorities representation in Greek football, organised in partnership with the Greek Football Federation and Super League.

Foundation for Freedom, Warsaw, Poland (01-23 October)
Production and dissemination of a manual on the empowerment of ethnic minorities through football, workshops and exhibitions on social inclusion through football based on the Ethnoleague initiative.

Foundation of Subjective Values, Budapest, Hungary (10 and 24 September and 08 and 22 October)
Four seminars focusing on partnerships and tactics in tackling racism in football stadiums; sport as a tool for social inclusion; the Hungarian observer system in football fixtures; and the role of supporter organised fan clubs in combating discrimination.

HAADUMIM Supporters Trust, several cities, Israel (dates to be confirmed)
Anti-discrimination travelling exhibition that will visit schools and offer lectures and workshops on the topic. A football match between young people and teachers will be played against the HAADUMIM team, constituted of Hapoel Tel-Aviv youth and professional players and fans, followed by a Q&A session.

Institute for Intercultural Dialogue, several cities, Slovakia (dates to be confirmed)
Travelling theatre play on LGBTI rights, sexism and homophobia in football. The cultural initiative aims to be a stereotype-breaking action for young people and the general public.

SOS Racismo, Porto, Portugal (17-19 October)
Anti-racism film festival organised in partnership with a school of cinema and migrant and human rights organisations.

Panel discussions and educational sessions will be held after each film. A half-day screening will be dedicated to children films.

Spolint Institute of Sport Development, Koper and Ljubljana, Slovenia (08 and 18 October)
Conferences in Koper and Ljubljana on sport, youth, education and justice bringing together experts, athletes, NGO’s representatives. Production of an educational manual on inclusion, diversity and football.

Youth center Zagorje ob Savi, Zagorje ob savi, Slovenia (09-11 October)
Launch of national level educational guide on anti-racism practices, followed by a series of activities to demonstrate its use, including a football tournament, and a debate on discrimination in Slovenia and workshops on human rights.

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