Clubs and their players have devoted time and resources to their local communities as a result of football’s reaction to the coronavirus pandemic.
From Arsenal to Wolfsburg, the remaining 8 clubs in the UEFA Women’s Champions League have presented countless projects to help enthusiasts and communities in the long inactivity era of football.
Activities included raising the budget for acquiring important medical equipment, delivering food to the elderly and vulnerable, or the game’s great success to convey important fitness messages.
“Football can be a vital vector of good,” says UEFA President Aleksander Eefin. “These examples demonstrate this.”
The London team made an initial donation of 150,000 euros to local charities and organisations fighting the COVID-19 crisis, while their cars and network staff were intended to assist in the dispatch of intellectual fitness personnel and national fitness service staff.
The Arsenal and Arsenal Foundation in the Community have distributed more than 210,000 food to those who want it most, while Arsenal Stadium has been redeveloped as a hub for the region’s food distribution centre. Personalized virtual training resources have also been developed for young people attending school at home and 250 laptops have been donated to local schoolchildren to take on the challenge of virtual poverty.
Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham said: “Arsenal Football Club exists to make our enthusiasts proud and create a sense of networking for others in Islington, across the UK and around the world. In those dubious and unprecedented times, we will try to make the case. “
Midfielder Silvia Meseguer has volunteered at a Madrid hospital after recently qualifying as a doctor. Among many other contributions to the local community, the Capital Club donated 20,000 masks in May. The mask was donated through the Atletico Madrid Foundation to the district of San Blas-Canillejas, which houses the club’s stadium, for use through the neighbors. The base had already made a donation to the Madrid Health Service while the club runs some other donation program for its members and players.
The Catalan team has partnered with the Red Cross to provide housing for the elderly; members over the age of 80 have been contacted to help them with all the responsibilities they want and to monitor their well-being.
The Barca Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation have also collaborated through support for food subsidies for at-risk families, homeless people, mental recommendation for the elderly and pandemic awareness campaigns.
Throughout the shutdown, the crusade #CulersAtHome provided updates on exercises, recipes, eBook and movie recommendations, and children’s activities.
Bayern have produced brand masks, the proceeds of which are donated to “WeKickCorona”, an initiative launched through the club’s million-euro donations, helped social and charitable organisations in all sectors of society to the pandemic.
The club and its fans also armed with amateur football and base sport. Many enthusiasts refused to refund tickets in form and donated the amount corresponding to FC Bayern Hilfe eV. This cash the 18 bayern Regionalliga clubs and the Bavario sports agreement BLSV. Each regional league receives 20,000 euros and the BLSV 100,000.
As an example of many local awareness-raising initiatives, Bayern have also donated the classic Sachertorten to some 80 retirement homes in Munich, receiving ten cakes.
The front Hayley Sinclair is a care painter who continues to play a role in the fight against the pandemic while midfielder Jo Love paints for Glasgow Scientific Services and was part of a team that has put her painting expertise in making hand-to-front disinfectants – Line staff. Players used the club’s official social media channels to provide recommendations on how to deal with the blockade, especially Mental Health Awareness Week in May, and coach Scott Booth organized video calls with fans.
First-team players also organized organizational video calls with the academy’s 11 organizations to keep morale high, while former stars Rachel Corsie and Erin Cuthbert asked video questions and answers with academy players. The club has also organized a series of “Watch Parties” featuring old-town matches from the past.
One club said: “The pandemic has been a difficult time for everyone and remains so today. Mental fitness is incredibly vital to us as a club, and we have worked hard to do our best to keep our players of all ages engaged and keep our enthusiasts motivated and in good spirits unable to look at the team they love. Football unites other people and, in fact, we have done everything we can to maintain this unity in those difficult times.”
Women’s OL players played an important role in supporting the reaction of the Olympique Lyonnais Foundation. In addition to participating in fundraising events for hospitals and charities, they also gave time to convey messages of conscience to followers and to encourage young people who were going through difficult times.
Some of his outstanding contributions have been virtual tours and recorded videos for inpatient children. They also participated in an eSports tournament with other young people from Lyon to inspire them to stay at home and remind them of the importance of social estrangement.
“It was natural for the club to act substantially without delay when the fitness crisis erupted,” said the OL Foundation co-chair and more sensible former player, Camille Abily. We have used all our mechanisms with those in the field: hospitals, medical studies and social welfare associations. The local connections we had already established helped us act temporarily and make a significant contribution, allowing us to help more people in need. “
In March, Paris donated 100,000 euros to the charity Secours Populaire. The money was spent on helping children, the elderly and homeless people who were affected by COVID. Other uses included for doctors running at the checkout and volunteer education.
In April, the PSG funded the acquisition of medical devices (masks, gloves, coats) for ACF (Action Against Hunger) so that they can continue to examine and treat malnourished young people around the world.
In May, thanks to a collaboration between the PSG Foundation and the Women’s Foundation, kits were given to women victims of domestic violence who were protected. This strengthened courtship with the Women’s Foundation, and the psg went further, investing directly in housing, logistics, protecting vulnerable women and their young people, and the progression of a physically powerful program to care for all affected youth in 3 other locations in Paris and its suburbs. The PSG Foundation program has served 148 women and young people in need of assistance and care.
The crusade #wirhelfen (we help) in Wolfsburg has provided much needed for senior members and club subscribers. Players from the first men’s and women’s teams, including Robin Knoche, Felix Klaus, Svenja Huth and Sara Doorsoun, personally called 75 fans. Other staff members ran errands, ran errands, or collected prescriptions and medications. “Every time I called, I realized how much it meant for other people to get a call asking how they were and if they needed help,” said Huth, an Olympic gold medalist.
To help young people and parents fight boredom during confinement, players also personally delivered gift bags to the 3500 members of the Wolfsburg Fan Club. “It was really wonderful to see the reactions of the young people as well as those of their parents,” defender Noelle Maritz said. “They were very pleased to get a little gift. It was really wonderful to be part of this initiative and to be able to bring joy to young people.
Wolfsburg staff also raised 30,000 euros through voluntary donations and, at the beginning of the crisis, the club provided 100,000 an essential surgical mask to the city’s frontline medical and social institutions. “The use of masks is a vital step in the fight against the virus, and we are pleased to be able to contribute in this way,” wolfsburg general manager Michael Meeske said.
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