Tackling Racism in Grassroots Football

Name/Title: TACKLE Racism in Grassroots Football

Executive Summary 

TACKLE’s final conference, hosted at UEFA’s Headquarters in Nyon and streamed online, was the culmination of the work and efforts of the project to generate awareness and put forward tangible interventions to make grassroots football a  welcoming space for all. Featuring speeches from legends of the game and high-level stakeholders from the field of Football and Education, the conference put to the fore the realities and challenges on the ground as well as the findings and results of the project in its bid to root racism out of football. 

Background

Implemented by a consortium of seven leading organisations from six European countries, TACKLE responded to the increasing calls for action to address the rising incidents of discrimination and intolerance in grassroots football. Placing grassroots football coaches and professionals at the epicentre of its response, the project sought to equip them with the knowledge and skills to serve as active agents in the fight against racism in football and society. Through the learning material developed, the training opportunities offered and its awareness activities TACKLE emphasised the universality of the sport that needs to be cherished and protected by tackling any form of intolerance. Work and actions that enabled partners to have multifaceted contributions in the field as well as draw invaluable insights and lessons that were presented in a Conference, held at UEFA’s Headquarters, crowing the completion of the project.  

Solution 

In close cooperation with the UEFA Foundation for Children, CARDET organised a hybrid conference at UEFA’s Headquarters in Nyon, to mark off the completion of TACKLE and showcase its work and successes. Headlined by the international football legend Clarence Seedorf, the Conference featured high-profile speakers who presented their experiences and views on the necessary actions to pave the way for football to become a catalyst in promoting inclusion, respect and acceptance in society. As part of the  Conference, CARDET’s Executive Director Charalambos Vrasidas, presented the work, key achievements and lessons learned through the work and actions of the TACKLE project. 

Results – Impact

TACKLE’s final Conference brought together football personalities, key experts and grassroots professionals, attracting considerable participation, both at the venue and online, as well as coverage from the media. Specifically, the Conference featured: 

• 50 football professionals, coaches and practitioners as well as representatives of organisations and institutions working in the field of inclusion and human rights attending the event at the venue
• The online broadcast and video of the Conference was streamed by over 15,000 users 
• The promotion and dissemination activities of the Final Conference – media articles, social media posts, online videos –  had an approximate reach of 150,000+ individuals