On May 21, the central arena of Lviv, Stadium "Avangard," welcomed young athletes participating in the "Open Football Festival" within an international partnership project by the Ukrainian Association of Football, the "New Democracy" Foundation, and the Cross-Cultural Projects Association (Denmark) together with the football associations of Volyn and the city of Lviv to support children in Ukraine during wartime.

The event also involved the State Emergency Service of Volyn Oblast and the Patrol Police Department's Volyn Oblast Management.

At the ceremonial opening, moderated by the project coordinator in Lviv Yuri Volincev, young athletes were greeted by the first deputy head of the Football Association of Volyn, chairman of the Football Federation of Lviv City Vasyl Kozhanovskyi, and Ukrainian ex-footballer, former coach of Poltava "Vorskla" and Lviv "Volyn," Vasyl Sachko.

Prior to activities at six locations, a warm-up was conducted by the deputy director of Lviv MCZFZN "Sport for All" Oksana Yaschuk.

More than 70 children aged 8-13 demonstrated their ball-handling skills on game, technical, and psycho-sports locations. Additionally, at safety stations, the children learned a lot about how to behave safely on the streets and adhere to traffic rules, as well as how to protect themselves from explosive hazards and what to do during emergencies.

The festival concluded with the awarding of diplomas to all participants and positive emotions from the children and their parents who filled the stadium stands and eagerly await similar sports-safety events.

The Ukrainian Association of Football's "Open Football Festivals" project is:

• youth leadership in communities;
• psychosocial support for children of ZSU servicemen, children of internally displaced persons (IDPs), and children affected by the war;
• unity and friendship among IDP children and local children, social integration;
• an inclusive environment where everyone participates, including children with special educational needs;
• knowledge of safety in wartime conditions;
• philosophy of mass football - joy from playing instead of results at any cost;
• cultivation of a healthy lifestyle;
• volunteer development;
• activation of local communities through cross-sector networks (youth leaders, teachers, coaches, psychologists, safety experts, parents, local authorities, patrons, etc.).