Beyond Football
This project's parent organization is Irish Football Association
It operates in Ireland
It uses Football (Soccer)
Entered the Sport For Social Inclusion Award
More about Beyond Football
The Beyond Football project addressed different social issues through the medium of football training and coach education. The project consists of two programmes - Street Soccer NI and Women's World United.
Street Soccer NI is an initiative in which groups come together to play football in a weekly league. Players in the Street Soccer NI League include homeless people, ex-offenders, drug and alcohol dependent individuals, long-term unemployed, refugees and asylum seekers and other disadvantaged groups. In Northern Ireland many of the players have become homeless through family breakdown, drink and drug abuse often leading to paramilitary action starting with warnings leading to beatings and, for many, exclusion from the country.
The Women’s World United initiative was developed by the IFA’s Football for All campaign, with support from a wide strategic partnerships. The original project began to provide an environment in which young, socially vulnerable and marginalised females could come together to play football in a safe space free from racism, discrimination and sectarianism.