December 3 - International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992. On this day, the global community draws attention to successes in building an inclusive environment, reminds about tolerance, dignity, humanity, and equal rights.

One of the sustainable development policies of the Ukrainian Football Association - the "Football for All" policy, which is implemented in cooperation with the Ukrainian Association of Football for People with Disabilities, aims to support and develop professional football among players with disabilities, improve access to football infrastructure for fans with disabilities, and conduct various training or involve referees and coaches to enhance their skills.

Photo by the UAF press service

Despite constant shelling and the difficulty of organizing training sessions and gatherings, our national teams have achieved high results this year:

• For the first time since Ukraine's independence, the national deaflympic team (players with hearing impairments) became world champions;
• Ukrainian players in futsal (athletes with visual impairments) won a gold medal at the World Games for the Blind for the first time;
• Ukraine became the European champion in football among athletes with cerebral palsy.

According to information from the Ministry of Social Policy (as of September 2023), during the year and a half since the full-scale invasion, the number of people with disabilities in Ukraine has increased by 300 thousand. Previously, there were 2.7 million disabled individuals living in Ukraine, but now this figure has reached 3 million.

Photo by the UAF press service

Ukraine needs an increasing number of rehabilitation specialists and more diverse centers and departments that help our people recover their functionality. Because the number of those who suffer injuries is growing. That's why the Ukrainian Football Association, together with the UAFLI and in cooperation with partners, supports and develops football among individuals with amputated limbs. Thus, this June at the training grounds of the V. Bannikov Educational and Training Complex, free trainings for people with amputations began, which anyone can join. In collaboration with FC "Pokrova," men with amputations living in Lviv and the region are involved in football and actively train. Our male team has already participated in a qualification tournament of the "League of Nations" in Belgium and will participate in the European Championship next year.

Photo by the UAF press service

Also, in partnership with the "Maximum" camp, women's football for amputees is being developed. Our team has already participated in an international camp where girls learned from their colleagues from Poland. It should be noted that Ukraine is the second country in Europe to form a women's amputee football team (first - Poland, third - England).

Photo by the UAF press service

The Ukrainian Football Association also continuously supports fans with disabilities. Thus, all matches of the national team of Ukraine are provided with audio description commentary, and free tickets for wheelchair users and people with other types of disabilities are regularly issued to attend matches of the country's main team.

An important direction is cooperation within the framework of the "National Cup" tournament, which took place on the fields of the V. Bannikov Educational and Training Complex in October, with the Center for Advanced Endoprosthetics, Osteointegration, and Bionics as a partner.

The center deals with advanced endoprosthetics using personalized medicine principles, and one of its key areas is helping soldiers who have suffered severe injuries while defending our country from Russian aggression.

Directly raising funds for the prosthetics of soldiers is managed by the charitable fund "Only the Strong" (Only the strong), and the Ukrainian Football Association gladly supports and will continue to support all football projects that raise funds for helping with soldier prosthetics. "The football community feels honored to contribute to supporting and restoring our soldiers. It's important for us to do everything in our power to give them back the possibility of a full life and engage in sports," - Vadim Kostyuchenko, first vice-president of UAF, noted.

Photo by the UAF press service

Another important initiative of the UAF - starting cooperation with one of the military-rehabilitation centers where our defenders undergo long-term treatment and rehabilitation. Agreements on such partnership were reached in November during a meeting between Vadim Kostyuchenko and representatives of the military rehabilitation center at the House of Football. Specifically, during the meeting, it was discussed about UAF's help in setting up a football field in the center, as well as organizing such fields in three other military rehabilitation centers. Also, the UAF will provide necessary football equipment and take on training specialists so that they can conduct football sessions, and in perspective organize competitions for soldiers undergoing recovery in these centers. "Football has no limits and should be accessible to all. And during this difficult time for our country, it also performs an important unifying function, is a vital social support tool for everyone who defends Ukraine or suffered as a result of military actions. It's an honor for us - to help soldiers and everyone in need of such support," - Vadim Kostyuchenko emphasized.