The "Inclusive Football Sections" project of the Ukrainian Football Association has been implemented in Cherkasy Oblast at the inclusive group «Champions for Life» of the municipal sports club «Dnipro» of the Cherkasy City Council.

The regional coordinator of the project from the Cherkasy Oblast Football Association, Bohdan Kulyanych, shares his impressions: "In the group «Champions for Life», children with disabilities have been able to attend classes on a regular basis and engage in their favorite sport for more than two years.

Photo by ChOFA

During training sessions, we work together with qualified coaches who have experience in sports and rehabilitation — Nataliya Kulyanych, Tetiana Korol, Mykhailo Yakunin — to improve the coordination skills of children and teach them how to interact with the ball and their partners. With the help of various equipment provided by the Ukrainian Football Association within the framework of this project, we conduct exercises with elements of football, dynamic and recreational games, relay races. Several times a year, we practice «Happy Starts», where children participate in relays along with athletes from MSK «Dnipro». Also, students from the Institute of Physical Culture, Sports, and Health at Cherkasy National University named after Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, who study special education, join the training sessions.

Photo by ChOFA

Thanks to these training sessions, we observe improvements in both physical and psychoemotional health of the children. I thank the Ukrainian Football Association, the Cherkasy Oblast Football Association, and MSK «Dnipro» for this wonderful initiative and constant support.

Photo by ChOFA

The first deputy head of the Cherkasy Oblast Football Association, Yevhen Hud, notes: "Inclusive football sections are a wonderful and challenging initiative of the Ukrainian Football Association. That is why our regional association gladly responded to the proposal to implement this project in Cherkasy.

Together with MSK «Dnipro» (Cherkasy), we have already conducted 40 training sessions for children with special educational needs. Such sections should exist because all children have the right to engage in sports on equal terms, and now, during wartime, when they spend a lot of time in bomb shelters, dynamic activity is extremely important. Thank you to everyone involved in the «Inclusive Football Sections» project.

Photo by ChOFA

Within the framework of UEFA's Mass Football Charter, the Ukrainian Football Association aims to:

— improve the psychoemotional and physical state of children through their involvement in physical activities and socialization;

— change society's attitude towards people with disabilities;

— provide access to inclusive sports activities;

— unlock children's potential;

— unite children and adults, regardless of physical or mental development.

Inclusive football sections, which are open to children with special educational needs, have been established in 21 communities across Ukraine. Thanks to the Ukrainian Football Association, these sections are equipped with children's football uniforms, balls, and necessary sports equipment.