Play for Change to Benefit Girls in Italy with New Project

May 6, 2022 

Play for Change is an international charity with the goal to enhance life opportunities for underprivileged children through the values of sport and education. This week they announced their new project, Pelota de Trapo (ball of rags) with Scholas Occurentes, an education institution in Italy, which will develop sports and education programs benefitting girls aged 9 to 16 who live in deprived suburbs of major Italian cities. 

In partnership with FIGC, the Italian Football Federation and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, the project was launched in the Pertini Primary School of Scampia in Naples. Over 80 children between the ages of 8 and 10 took part in a range of activities with coaches and local partners, Napoli Femminile. 

“To overcome the cultural barriers, prejudices and stereotypes that prevent women’s football from growing in Italy, we need to start by spreading the concept of sport and equality, and also understand that gender equality starts in schools,” it states on the project's website. 

The project, supported by UEFA Foundation, will educate and empower young girls living in the suburbs of Milan, Turin, Rome and Naples using football. Additionally, the girls selected through the network of local partners will have the opportunity to participate in summer camps organized through local sports clubs and associations. 

“Sport must be for everyone and must involve everyone. Football is, among various other sports, a vehicle for raising public awareness on the issues of inclusion, equal opportunities, and the removal of social barriers and discrimination.” 

The integrated method, through the Scholas Futval (football with values) methodology, provides the teaching throughout this project. The six-step method understands football as a culture and way of life, rather than just a way to get physically active. These values will be integrated into the programs and range of activities in the project. These activities and events include: 

• Training – training courses will be organized for the sports clubs’ coaches and educational staff according to the Scholas Futval values methodology. Tools will be provided to increase the ability of sports clubs to make football more inclusive. 
• School – workshops will take place in schools, which will include sports, educational and artistic activities around gender equality. 
• Summer Camp – training and programs will be provided to sports clubs’ summer camps, where girls and boys will experience football as an inclusive sport. 
• Events – a football tournament, and participation in international sporting events such as the final of the Women’s Champions League and the Qatar 2022 World Cup. 

Play for Change is a Beyond Sport Global Award entrant.