In Kostopol, located in Rivne Oblast, an "Open Football Festivals" event took place at the local DSYS within the framework of a project by the Ukrainian Football Association and the Rivne Regional Football Association.

The event was organized by the Kostopol District Football Federation (chairman - Dmytro Ulyanchuk) and the Kostopol Youth Football Hub "Patriot" (director - Yurii Bambolya).

Photo by ROAF

Participants in the festival included students from the local DSYS and DFK "SHARM". For children, training sessions were held in a game format across six sectors: "Safety Square", "Psychologist's Square", "Football Technique", "Football Play", "Coordination Development", and "Strength Barrier".

Photo by ROAF

All children received football shirts as gifts, while coaches were given footballs.

The following individuals helped organize the "Open Football Festivals":

— Olena Ruda — coach of DFK "SHARM", Master of Sports of Ukraine;

— Yana Nadzhedyna (Holish) — player of FC "Pogorina", Master of Sports of Ukraine;

— Tetiana Kusyk — psychologist at Kostopol Lyceum No. 5;

— Mykhailo Ozarchuk — representative of the State Emergency Service in Rivne Oblast, senior lieutenant of civil defense service;

— Roman Datsiuk and Artem Ukrainets — coaches at Kostopol DSYS and players for FC "Kostopol";

— students from the Regional Sports Lyceum in Kostopol (coaches of the lyceum - Serhiy Stepaniuk and Dmytro Ulyanchuk).

Photo by ROAF

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

• youth leadership in communities;
• psychosocial support for children of military servicemen, IDPs, and war-affected children;
• unity and friendship between 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 intersectoral networks (youth leaders, teachers, coaches, psychologists, safety experts, parents, local authorities, patrons, etc.).