Willkommen Im Fußball: International Conference
In 2015 roughly one million refugees came to Europe to apply for asylum. Many of them will stay here. They should become integrated into our society, and they want to be. With its enormous popularity across the world, football has an outstanding level of social impact and can be a special force. It can help to return a little light-heartedness to the lives of the refugees.
Enjoying the game with others, identifying with the new home town, meeting other fans – all of this brings people together. This status gives professional football a special responsibility. What can professional football do to fulfil its responsibility?
The “Willkommen im Fußball” (“Welcome to Football”) programme already includes over 20 clubs from the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga from all over Germany – such as Borussia Dortmund, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SV Werder Bremen – that are involved in refugee-welcoming alliances which organise easily accessible sport and training opportunities for young refugees. “Welcome to Football” is a programme of the German Children and Youth Foundation, funded by the Bundesliga Foundation and Federal Government Commissioner for Migrants, Refugees and Integration.
At the international conference on 8. November 2016 in Berlin, previous conclusions as well as challenges and possible solutions from “Welcome to Football” will be presented, and experiences will be shared regarding what professional football in Europe and Germany can do to help refugees.
The conference is aimed at interested parties from German and European professional and top-class sport, particularly football.
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