Project Partners
Malta Football Association
The Malta FA leads the project, bringing extensive experience in European sport initiatives and social responsibility programmes. Their work focuses on inclusion, equality, and using football as a tool for social impact, ensuring the project delivers real change across Europe.
The Malta Football Association is the largest sports association in Malta with over 15,000 affiliated members between players, coaches, match officials, administrators, staff, volunteers and other stakeholders who are all part of the domestic football family. The vision of the Malta FA is to further strengthen its investment to build a stronger foundation, aiming at long-term development and the sustainability of Maltese football across all levels, from community, grassroots, amateurs, women and youths all the way to the elite, clubs and national team selections.
Football Social Responsibility
The Malta FA is fully committed to an inclusive policy of football social responsibility starting from within the association and its staff members and reaching out to football clubs and the communities they embrace, as well as all those who can in one way or another benefit from our social responsibility initiatives in a manner that is fully inclusive and creates a feel-good factor for the protagonists of our projects. In doing so we commit to create and engage in meaningful FSR projects that have a short term and long-term effect all round for all genders, all nationalities, all ages, and all abilities, to create better lifestyles and good football feel. Our Football Social Responsibility credo is one of full engagement strategies with the widest implications and involvement internally and externally. We understand the importance of reaching out and its short time and long-term positiveness. The creation of football communities, of people who meet to play and play to meet; of individuals becoming communities; of reaching in and then reaching out.
Contact details:
Malta Football Association
Millenium Stand, Floor Two, The NAtional Stadium, Ta’ Qali, ATD 4000
T: +356 2338 6000 E: info@mfa.com.mt W: www.mfa.com.mt
Malta Football Association - 1900
Project team members:
- Peter Busuttil
- Tamara Gerbens
GRiiiS
Youthorama is an award-winning organisation behind the global “A Ball for All” campaign. Their innovative inclusive football approach enables people with and without disabilities to play together, making sport more accessible worldwide.
GRiiiS (Global Research institute inclusion innovation Sport) was founded in 2003.
In recent years, especially through our #ABallforAll campaign, we have focused on integrating young people with fewer opportunities through sport. GRiiiS, launching the #ABallforAll campaign, set a goal to travel to all corners of the earth to distribute these special balls. We have an active network in 217 countries and territories. We are running the International Campaign www.aballforall.com distributing for free our patented mini blind football; the only one globally which is suitable for children. In the first nine years of the #ABallforAll campaign, more than 40.000 mini blind footballs have been distributed https://www.aballforall.com/aballforall-around-the-world.html and the magic behind is that they are not for sale but only for donation.
GRiiiS is the current winner of the EU Be Inclusive annual Sport Awards in the category of "Inspiring Change" for the "A ball for all" (https://sport.ec.europa.eu/whats-new/news/meet-the-2021-beinclusive-eu-sport-awards-finalists-a-ball-for-all).
Project team members:
- Ilias Mastoras
- Alexandros Charmpis
Irish FA Foundation (Northern Ireland)
The Irish FA Foundation uses football to create opportunities for people from disadvantaged communities. Their programmes promote inclusion, mental health, education, and community cohesion, working with groups such as young people, refugees, and people with disabilities.
www.irishfa.com/irish-fa-foundation
Project team members:
- Des Tomlison
- Rory O'Connor
University of the Balearic Islands (Spain)
The University of the Balearic Islands contributes academic expertise in sport science and psychology. With decades of research experience, they support the project through evidence-based analysis and help develop practical tools for inclusive sport.
Get to know IUB:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUFyplvN3Mc
Project team members:
- Dr Francisco Javier Ponseti Verdaguer
- Dr Alejandro Garcia Mas