Video: The Football Club Social Alliance's disability football programme

The Football Club Social Alliance (FCSA) – a partnership of top European professional football clubs – have been engaged in disability football since it was founded in 2007. Watch the latest video to learn how their disability programme actually works.

This coming Saturday, 3rd December 2016, marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. A day where people and organisations around the world will be celebrating success stories, and discussing ways to enhance existing opportunities, or create new ones that, build, shape, and deliver, a more inclusive and equitable world for persons with disabilities.

Disability Football

The Football Club Social Alliance (FCSA) – a partnership of top European professional football clubs - have been involved in disability football since its inception in 2007, when the very first Special Youth Camp took place in Liechtenstein. The Special Youth Camp, having celebrated its 10th anniversary in August 2016, is a football and recreational camp for youth with mental and/or physical disabilities, which now takes place annually in Basel.

Young Coaches pave the way for a bright future

Since 2010, the disability football concept evolved to incorporate an educational programme for Young Coaches, which has consequently enriched the outcome of the initiative. This Tandem Young Coach Education Programme takes place prior to the Special Youth Camp, giving persons with or without a disability, who are interested in football and wish to become coaches, the practical and theoretical experience they need to start a coaching career in disability football. One participant with a disability and one participant without a disability form a ‘Tandem’. Qualified instructors of the FCSA or guest clubs deliver and support all training.

The training not only increases opportunities for youth with disabilities and non-disabled participants to get involved in disability football at a coaching level, it aids personal development, and also facilitates the sharing of best practice between football clubs.

Reiterating the value of the training, a Young Coach from Basel, commented, “This week was very important to me. I can now plan trainings and know that it requires a lot of concentration. I could not have done it without my Tandem Partner. Back in Basel I want to conduct trainings myself.”

Disability Football Film of the FCSA

After all, seeing is believing, so why not sit back and enjoy a short film that was put together to highlight the FCSA’s disability football initiatives, and raise awareness about disability football. At the end of the video, don´t forget to share via email and social media!

Watch the video by clicking the image at the bottom of this page, or view on Vimeo.