Find out how clubs participating in the UEFA Europe League have made their component in helping communities cope with the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
From Basel to Wolverhampton Wanderers, all clubs that remained in the UEFA Europa League have submitted projects to help enthusiasts and communities throughout the long inactivity era of football.
Activities included increasing the budget for acquiring important medical equipment, delivering food to the elderly and vulnerable, or the game’s great success to convey important messages about fitness.
“Football can be a vital vector of good,” says UEFA President Aleksander Eeferin. “These examples demonstrate this.”
In April, Basel presented a solidarity crusade: ZammestooGegenCorona (#StandTogetherAgainstCorona) under the patronage of club legend Karli Odermatt. For several weeks, countless existing and former CBF players and other club staff showed up to auction exclusive pieces in zämmestoo.fcb.ch. Combined with individual donations, those auctions raised approximately CHF 70,000. The total is divided between 3 charities, two with local vocation and one with Swiss/international reach.
FCB CEO Roland Heri said: “The cycle is closed: Karli Odermatt opened this exclusive initiative in early April and weeks later closed it again by assembly. other people from the giant circle of FCB relatives who have made a wonderful effort of solidarity to help those who lately are going through even more difficult times than usual. The result is a glorious and successful task that has smiled at us. each and every one of those difficult moments.”
One of the club’s most notable initiatives, along with many other contributions to the community, has been to offer the use of its stadium to the city of Copenhagen for schools and other educational institutions. This allowed them to resume training while maintaining a social estrangement protocol.
“We know this is a wonderful challenge for many schools and establishments in Copenhagen, and we would like to contribute an imaginable solution,” said the club’s general manager, Katja Moesgaard.
The head of the city’s child and youth administration, Jesper Christensen, added: “We want to be artistic and I am pleased to see that our main cultural companies, housing associations and sports establishments are in a position to intervene.”
In addition to administering a delivery service for club members who are unable to leave their homes due to the COVID-19 blockade, Frankfurt has also launched a state-of-the-art online initiative to help restaurants, small businesses and cultural and social establishments in the city cope with the sudden currency crisis. Crisis.
Acting as an intermediary, the club invited the Frankfurters to pay in advance the average monthly amount they would regularly spend at their preferred destination. In return, the decision on the company provided proof that allowed the visitor to recover their credits as soon as the closure was eased. One club official said: “During the coronavirus crisis and the demanding social situations we all face right now, solidarity, fighting and perseverance play an even more vital role in supporting the region, its people, businesses and local institutions.”
The club’s base has led a number of projects to the city’s frontline response. This included the creation of a team of physicians to provide loose medical information and data to the local network through an online consultation service.
The club itself donated to Getafe University Hospital to help you purchase non-public protective equipment, such as waterproof gowns, surgical masks, shoe covers, gloves and hats. The club’s base also donated medical materials to organizations that offer 350 adults and youth with intellectual ailments considered vulnerable to COVID-19 infection.
Clemente Villaverde, Managing Director: “We continue to paint on these initiatives, which were presented as a result of this situation. What we want to do now is for them and recognize their importance, whether for us as a club and for the citizens of Getafe.Array “Learn more here.
After donating one million masks to the national civil coverage agency, Inter presented #TogetherAsATeam, a crowdfunding crusade for the vaccine in the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at the Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan.
The online initiative has raised 658,000 euros thanks to contributions from more than 3,000 fans, as well as first-team players, training staff, club workers and the PUPI Foundation, the Argentine non-profit organization created through former Inter captain Javier Zanetti and his wife Paula to vulnerable children.
“Reaching out to our enthusiasts with personalized messages from players, coaches and staff to inspire donations and bringing the network to the cause in combination has made a big difference,” said Inter CEO Alessandro Antonello.
The budget helped finance:
An organization of doctors, nurses, volunteer midwives and experts to send to the most critical hospitals in the Lombardy region.
Intensive care equipment for hospitals, adding fans, meters, respirators, disinfectants for giant spaces and ambulances
Health products, baby care products, masks and disinfectant gels for foster homes and children’s institutions.
Shortly after the first outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in Wuhan, Inter sent 300,000 masks to hospitals in the Chinese city.
Inter Campus, which supports the progression of football in 30 of the world’s poorest communities, has organized video chats to bring together coaches and youth from around the world. To help break the boredom of the block, videos were distributed showing how to play indoor games for footballs and cone bottles.
“The pandemic has hit other people around the world with wonderful strength. The wonderful commitment of all physical care staff has been to allow us to look now to the future. With this initiative, we must thank them and celebrate their paintings and at the same time sends a message of unity and solidarity among the nations,” said Inter President Steven Zhang.
The Turkish club contributed hugely to the awareness messages sent out to the public to ensure transmission of the virus was kept to a minimum. Several videos were posted with players sending messages to fans and club channels sent support to key workers.
Together with Germany’s three other original UEFA Champions League participants for 2019/20 (Borussia Dortmund, FC Bayern München, RB Leipzig), Leverkusen established a solidarity fund worth up to €20m to help clubs in both the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga who are struggling to cope with the economic consequences of football’s shutdown.
To establish the fund, the four clubs have waived their share of the undistributed national media revenue from the German Football League (DFL) for the 2020/21 season (approximately €12.5m). In addition, they agreed to allocate €7.5m of their own resources. “This campaign underlines that solidarity in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga is not lip service,” said Christian Seifert, the DFL chief executive.
In addition, the club has supported local and regional activities and has donated only about 50,000 euros to projects in and around Leverkusen.
The Austrian club’s #GemeinsamgegenCorona (#togetheragainstcorona) initiative involved staff and players in a network response. In March, LASK publicly pledged not to leave the license staff. Meanwhile, the workers of the club in question attended the Austrian Red Cross in their normal operating hours while they proceeded to obtain their wages from the LASK.
They helped administer the national coronavirus hotline, where they coordinated testing for potentially inflamed people. In addition, players recorded short video clips of their homes (or military service) encouraging enthusiasts to stay at home and secure the official era of closure in Austria.
LASK CEO Andreas Protil said: “Given that we were at the heart of national media policy since the beginning of this crisis because of our UEFA Europa League adjustment as opposed to Manchester United, we seek to seize the opportunity to serve as a style in our This Is why we must dispense with public investment and have our staff delivered to humanitarian organizations.”
United has partnered with local rival Manchester City FC to donate 100,000 euros to local food banks. The basis of the club has been very active, delivering food to local charities, offering home entertainment for younger enthusiasts and donating 300,000 euros to spouse schools, among many other initiatives.
Other steps were taken for fitness service staff, key staff and contact with senior enthusiasts, while Old Trafford was made for a cellular control unit and as a pool for blood donations. There were 60,000 foods ready for fitness service staff and enthusiasts can also call top-of-the-line heroes for popularity and celebration.
The club’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, teamed up with carrier Angeliki Frangou and ION SA to fund 12 extensive care beds at Nikaia State General Hospital on the outskirts of Athens. More than 1.5 million euros have been spent on extensive care beds and their extra equipment, constant high-tech respirators, special monitors, pumps and defibrillators.
In addition, Tzanio Hospital won protective mask and medical equipment, while Marinakis also invested 100,000 euros in the special professional football telethon that was organized to increase the budget in response to the crisis. Olympiacos’ head of foreign affairs, Kostas Vernikos, said: “We seek to show our social responsibility, making our most productive opposition to the coronavirus pandemic. With solidarity and love for all our human beings, Olympiacos will be there.” for those in need
The Rangers Charity Foundation has worked on a variety of tactics for its local network and beyond. Through their #AFoundationFromHome campaign, users have been able to access a variety of resources for others of all ages. The foundation has also worked hard to offer a number of physical and financial donations to external teams in these difficult times.
Foundation director Connal Cochrane said: “When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, and the country went into lockdown, we were immediately committed to supporting our local community and beyond through a range of projects – all spearheaded by our #AFoundationFromHome initiative.
“From creating educational worksheets for young people with loose mail delivery, to creating special videos for our Football Memory participants living with dementia, #AFoundationFromHome has taken a variety of our core network projects and adapted them to allow others to access from isolation.”
“Other revised projects included weekly fitness videos for adults and football skills that require situations for young people with autism and visual impairment. Elsewhere, we worked with our longtime spouse UNICEF and our previous 15,000 euro donation in the year was used for their COVID- 19 attractive to young people around the world.
“More locally, thanks to the generosity of our enthusiasts, we had to donate a variety of treats to patients at two Glasgow hospitals who could not get visits from the circle of family and friends. We also responded to a lot of enthusiasts who contacted them directly for support.
“At the end of the day, everyone at the base needs our followers, charitable partners, and all the youth and adults we paint in the nets to stay safe and healthy. As the charitable arm of Rangers Football Club, we are well aware of our duty on behalf of the Rangers circle of relatives and we hope that through our paintings during COVID-19, our communities will know more than ever that we will be there.” Learn more here.
Headquartered in the capital of one of the countries most affected by the COVID-19 virus, Roma have played a leading role in their enthusiasts to deal with the unprecedented crisis.
When the blockade left many seniors remote and vulnerable, the Roma Cares base began delivering packages to all subscription holders over the age of 75. Elisha Lorenzetti, the largest of the beneficiaries. In addition to the food and medicine package, star forward Edin Deko gave a signed T-shirt to the 96-year-old fan, born four years before the founding of Rome.
The club used its own call center to link senior enthusiasts and others with disabilities to local food providers, medical supplies or other critical needs.
Roma have also raised more than 500,000 euros to provide medical supplies to local hospitals. The budget helped acquire 8 fully supplied lung fans and 8 extensive care beds, as well as 70,000 protective masks, 11,000 bottles of disinfectant gel and 32,000 pairs of protective gloves distributed to hospitals, churches, residences, shelters and key personnel in Rome.
Other initiatives:
• To aid home-schooling, club mascot Romolo delivered 55 tablets to families selected by local children’s charity Forum del Terzo Settore
• Roma launched HEROES, a social media campaign telling the stories of 72 doctors, nurses and medical professionals working to contain COVID-19 around the world
5,000 tickets on the loose for medical staff to attend the first game of the house of Rome with followers
• Special discount introduced for tickets sold to medical workers during the 2020/21 season.
Through its Take Care of Me initiative, Seville called on vulnerable members of the local community, especially the elderly, to raise awareness of the desire to stay at home to avoid exposure to the COVID-19 virus. The Seville Foundation also oversaw the physical condition of the club’s elderly and vulnerable. “We will continue to call and our elders; it is an ethical legal responsibility because without your efforts and your contribution over the years, we would not be who we are today,” said Seville Communications Director Jess Gomez.
The foundation also contributed to food banks set up by local charities to ensure the city’s poorest communities did not go hungry during the lockdown.
Players have also taken their own projects to stay in touch with club supporters. When a local Andalusian club fanatic entered the Virgen Macarena Hospital after the symptoms of COVID-19 appeared, he won a wonderful call from Franco ‘Mudo’ Vázquez of Seville wishing him a speedy recovery.
Midfielder Antonio Zarzana followed in his team-mate’s footsteps, posting a message of solidarity to all Sevilla fans on his Instagram account: “Do not go to bed without eating, don’t hesitate in writing to me. Whatever I have I will give to those who need it, you only have to write to me by private message.”
Locked in his hometown of Rosario, the Argentine midfielder from Seville and his circle of relatives worked with a local football team to deliver food and warm clothes to those in need.
Together with the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, Shakhtar Donetsk provided 20,000 COVID-19 test kits for medical institutions in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. The kits allow laboratories to identify potential coronavirus infections in just 15 minutes and are critical in helping public health authorities identify and contain outbreaks. “I am happy that the whole team and I can now do a good thing for my home city,” said Shakhtar’s Valeriy Bondar.
In April, Shakhtar players Andriy Pyatov and Sergii Kryvtsov appeared in a series of 12 educational videos teaching schoolchildren exercises to perform at home during the country’s lockdown. The series, called Digital PE Classes for Schoolchildren, was shared through the club’s channels.
The crusade #wirhelfen (help) in Wolfsburg has brought many needs to senior members and club subscribers. The players from the first men’s and women’s teams, adding Robin Knoche, Felix Klaus, Svenja Huth and Sara Doorsoun, personally called 75 fans. Other staff members ran errands, ran errands, or collected prescriptions and medications. “I was very happy that I called them. They told me about their daily life, how they’re doing and whether they’re getting An Array. As a team, we really hope everyone stays healthy and well,” Knoche said.
To help young people and parents fight boredom, players also personally delivered gift bags to the 3,500 members of the Wolfsburg Fan Club. “It was a smart thing,” Kevin Mbabu said. “It was a wonderful laugh to ask the little children and see happiness on their faces. He was a smart replacement for everyday life for them and for us.”
Wolfsburg staff also raised €30,000 through voluntary donations and, early on in the crisis, the club provided 100,000 much-needed surgical masks to the city’s frontline medical and social institutions. “The wearing of masks is an important step in the fight against the virus, and we’re glad that we can contribute to that in this way,” said Wolfsburg’s managing director Michael Meeske.
A key focus for Wolves was the vulnerable and elderly members of their community with club legends getting in touch, prescription and grocery collections, online support and various other aid schemes and initiatives.
Masks and other protective equipment were delivered to social staff and the city of Wolverhampton. Fundraising concepts, such as an Ebay auction and the proceeds of the special wolf mask, have sent cash to local hospitals and fitness services, while the equipment and have also contributed giant sums.
Learning and entertainment resources were provided for young fans, food was donated charities and the club also hosted a video memorial service to remember lost loved ones.
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