Fourth season of Gazprom’s Football for Friendship international children’s project announced
Release
Munich, Germany. Today Gazprom, the official sponsor of the UEFA Champions League, announced the opening of the fourth season of the Football for Friendship international children's social project.
The project's geographical scope expands considerably with each passing year. This season, young footballers from Africa and South America are taking part in the project for the first time, with the number of Asian teams increasing. The overall number of participating countries has grown from 24 last year to 32, which is 4 times greater than when the project started. This year, the list of participants includes teams from Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
A number of traditional events will take place during the season. On April 25 the participating countries will celebrate the International Day of Football and Friendship. On May 27–28 Milan will host the International Street Soccer Tournament and the Football for Friendship International Children's Forum.
The forum will culminate with the awarding of the Nine Values Cup, the special prize of the Football for Friendship project, to one of the world's professional football clubs for the utmost commitment to the program's values. The participants will visit the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (San Siro) in Milan after the forum is over.
“The number of participants in the Football for Friendship project and the countries they represent grows every year. We can safely say this season is truly global, as young footballers from the Western Hemisphere are taking part in the project for the first time. Football for Friendship gives teenagers representing various cultures, customs and traditions an excellent opportunity to learn to understand and respect each other despite any and all differences,” said Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee.
“The Nine Values Cup awarded by the participants in the Football for Friendship project is a statue of a young footballer holding the Earth in the shape of a football. I think it is a successful representation of the ideas and values that football and sports as a whole promote among youth,” said Franz Beckenbauer, the Global Ambassador of the Football for Friendship project.
“I am happy that this year my friends and I will have an opportunity to join the Football for Friendship project, meet our peers from different countries and discuss really important topics. I believe we can change the world and make it better,” said Maher Shaabo, young participant from Syria.
Background
The Football for Friendship international children's social project is implemented by Gazprom within the Gazprom for Children initiative. The program is aimed at developing youth football and fostering tolerance and respect toward different cultures and ethnicities among children from across the world. The key values supported and promoted by the project's participants include friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honor.
The annual Football for Friendship International Children's Forum is the most important event of the program, bringing together 12- to 14-year-old players from top football clubs. The first forum was held in London on May 25, 2013.
The Football for Friendship project has a special prize: the Nine Values Cup is a unique trophy awarded annually to a professional football club for the implementation of social initiatives based on the program's values. The winner is chosen by young ambassadors of Football for Friendship through a vote that is held in all countries participating in the project.
The Football for Friendship Forum gives young footballers a chance to communicate with their peers from other countries, as well as with famous athletes and cultural figures. Traditionally, the participants attend the UEFA Champions League Final after the forum is over.
Gazprom is a global energy company focused on geological exploration, production, transportation, storage, processing and sales of gas (including as NGV fuel), gas condensate and oil, as well as generation and distribution of heat and electric power. The Company operates in Russia, Africa, Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, as well as Central, South and Southeast Asia.
Gazprom is the world's largest company in terms of natural gas reserves and production output, with gas delivered to consumers in Russia and more than 30 other countries. The Company is among Russia's four largest oil producers. It also owns major power-generating assets in Russia. In addition, Gazprom holds the leading position in the global thermal energy market.
In addition to pursuing an active business development strategy, Gazprom pays great attention to social projects. The Company supports numerous sports organizations and events on a national and international scale. Among other things, Gazprom is the official partner of the UEFA Champions League, offering support to the UEFA Super Cup and a whole range of world-famous football clubs, including Russia's Zenit, Germany's Schalke 04 and Serbia's Crvena Zvezda.