Six months ago in Ukraine, the Spirit of Soccer Ukraine project began its work, implemented by the Amateur Football Association with support from the U.S. Department of State and in collaboration with the Ukrainian Football Association.

Currently, the program, dedicated to raising awareness about the risks of explosive remnants through football, covers three regions — Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv. Active national team players have joined the initiative "No Mines," serving as role models for younger generations.

Photos courtesy of the UAF

In April, the founder and long-time director of the international organization Spirit of Soccer, Scott Lee, visited Ukraine. He toured sports festivals in three regions along with experts from his organization to inspect six months of work by Ukrainian coaches.

On April 2nd, an educational event took place in Borodyanka on the anniversary of its liberation from Russian occupation. Honored guests included PFL President Oleksandr Kadchenko, KOAF Executive Director Yevgeniy Eveseev, and Chairman of the Borodyanka Football Association Volodymyr Shoma. Due to the occupation, all educational institutions in the town were destroyed, so education is conducted remotely. Sports events under these conditions serve as a lifeline element that allows children to distance themselves from war realities, communicate with each other, and spend their time usefully for health.

Photos courtesy of the UAF

On April 4th, on International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, a football festival took place in Kharkiv region. The initiative was supported by Chairman of the Kharkiv Oblast Football Association Viktor Kovalenko and Mayor of Lysychansk Serhiy Zelenyi. Young players from Lysychansk's DYSHS and local FC "Avangard" learned to be attentive and remember key safety messages EORE, receiving useful information about how to handle explosive remnants from employees of the State Emergency Service.

Photos courtesy of the UAF

A few days later, a corresponding sports event was organized by the Chernihiv team of Spirit of Soccer Ukraine. In the local sports school premises, children, including those who are internally displaced from active conflict zones, played, communicated, and learned safe behavior with suspicious items in wartime conditions. Overall, nearly 150 children participated in the reporting festivals, who will be able to spread acquired safety knowledge among their friends and relatives.

Photos courtesy of the UAF

As conversations with children after events show, many young Ukrainians have directly encountered war horrors, distinguish sounds of explosions from different types of ammunition, and some even found unexploded ordnance. This is why football is a powerful and effective tool to familiarize children and youth with mine safety rules, stabilize psycho-emotional state in wartime conditions, and motivate further engagement in football on safe territories.

Photos courtesy of the UAF

From organizers, all children received football balls and training equipment as gifts, along with pleasant sweets. The work of the Spirit of Soccer Ukraine program continues to reduce harmful effects of dangerous, illegally spread, and indiscriminate use of military weapons.

We continue working on the sports front and protecting what is most important — the life of every child, the safety of every family!