7 partners from 6 european countries + support from uefa
The Latvian Football Federation (LFF) represents Latvia’s national men’s and women’s football teams, youth, girls, indoor and beach football teams of all ages in international tournaments and test matches. The headquarters of LFF is located on the second floor of the “Rimi Olympic Center” football hall, Grostonas Street 6b, Riga. The LFF officially joined the International Association of Football Federations (FIFA) in 1922, but was excluded from it after the inclusion of Latvia in the USSR. Re-entry took place in 1992 after Latvia regained its independence. LFF was also included in the Union of European Football Federations (UEFA) in 1992.
Karlis Boitmanis (manager/researcher): with extensive experience in project management across various sectors, including environmental policy, youth advocacy, and sports administration, Karlis is a dedicated advocate for gender equality. Holding positions ranging from CEO to EU funding consultant, Karlis has demonstrated proficiency in strategic planning and stakeholder engagement. Armed with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and certifications in football management, Karlis committed to advancing gender parity through innovative solutions.
Veronica Margherita Cocco (researcher): researcher at the University of Verona (Italy) and a member of the Executive Committee of the Italian Association of Psychology – Section of Social Psychology. Her teaching and research activities primarily revolve around group processes and intergroup relations, with a specific emphasis on promoting social inclusion and equality. She has contributed extensively to this field, publishing numerous scientific articles in international journals. She has participated in multiple national and international projects aimed at promoting social inclusion.
The Malta Football Association (MFA) is a private non-profit organisation of an associative nature and is registered with a local legal body. The principal aim of the MFA is to foster the game of football through the organisation of competitions, coaching, refereeing and also love for the game amongst youngsters. The MFA is currently formed of fifty-three (53) clubs and thirteen (13) Member Associations, which in turn organise football competitions for the clubs and teams affiliated with them or other activities related to their status. The MFA’s Mission is: “To organise, promote and protect the game of football in Malta and Gozo with respect to the laws of the game and without discrimination on grounds of race, colour or creed.” The MFA has all necessary capacities to manage the PROGRES project as it is a well-structured organisation with wide experience in sports projects, social inclusion project as well as working with students, refugees, vulnerable people, persons with disabilities, and all those who through football can improve their well-being, their quality of life and life-long education. The Association is ultimately an umbrella organisation for football clubs in Malta. The Malta FA participates in a number of social inclusion projects using football related activities to enhance participation and inclusivity at all levels. This includes using the game of football in a number of situations to enhance participation, social networking, inclusion, integration and education to mention a few elements which are go beyond playing the game. The key objective is always using football in all activities to compliment the needs of the end user: students, refugees, vulnerable people, persons with disabilities, and all those who through football can improve their well-being, their quality of life and life-long education.
Peter Busuttil (manager/researcher): works on social responsibility projects related to football and is also the main point of reference at the Malta FA for inclusion projects. He is also the project manager for all 3 EU funded projects as from 2018 to the current Play Football, Live Football project. He holds a degree in Education and a professional degree in theatre. He has worked in social inclusion projects as a volunteer.
Luis Figueroa (manager/researcher): he is an economist with a degree from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico and he holds a Master’s in Finance and an MBA. Luis played football for Club América in Mexico and in the youth categories of the Mexican national team. Currently, he coordinates various social inclusion projects in the Social Responsibility area of the Malta Football Association. Additionally, he coaches football teams in projects involving refugees, women’s teams, and inclusion initiatives.
The Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) is the governing body of football in Ukraine. UAF is a member of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. UAF is also member of international football organizations such as UEFA and FIFA. The Ukrainian Football Association governs all sport events and organizations associated with the game of football. Its main features include football competitions including the Ukrainian Professional League, the Ukrainian Cup, the Amatory, the competitions among the youth (under-18), and also the Ukraine national football team. It also sets the regulations to the Premier League and the Professional Football League.
Iryna Makarevych (manager/researcher): Social Responsibility Manager and Child Safeguarding Manager, Disability access officer at Ukrainian Association of Football and a Member of the Executive Committee of Ukrainian Association of Football for People with Disabilities. During June 2016 till March 2023 Iryna also worked for the Charity Fund “Football Development in Ukraine” as a manager or coordinator of 6 social projects which were supported by UNICEF Ukraine, UEFA Foundation for Children, UNDP, Ministry of Science and Education of Ukraine, National Police of Ukraine, Ukrainian Association of Football.
The Estonian Football Association (EJL: Eesti Jalgpalli Liit) is the governing body of football, beach soccer and futsal in Estonia. Established on 14 December 1921, it organizes the football league, including the championship which is called Meistriliiga, Estonian Cup and the Estonian national football team. It is based in Tallinn. EJL became a member of FIFA in 1923, but following Estonia’s annexation by the Soviet Union it was disbanded. It became a member again in 1992 after Estonia reinstated its independence.
Maria Sootak (manager/researcher): over 10 years of experience as a football coach for girls and women in Estonian football clubs like Tartu JK Tammeka, FC Flora Tallinn and in girls’ national teams. Since February 2024 Women’s Football Coordinator in the Estonian Football Association. Master’s Degree in Baltic Sea Region Studies from University of Turku. 8 times organiser of charity event called „Pink Football“ („Roosa jalgpall“) aimed to help raise over 10 000€ in donations for breast cancer treatment and research over the years.
Kelly Rosen (manager/researcher): she is the project manager for girls’ U14 regional trainings and an assistant coach for the Women’s U15 national team. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from Tallinn University. She plays for the national team and in the highest league in Estonia. She is a six-time Estonian champion.
The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), founded in 1175, is among the oldest universities in the world and has always been ranked among the top Italian universities for quality of teaching and research. UNIMORE is composed of 14 Departments, 16 interdisciplinary research centres, 8 PhD schools, and has almost 1,500 personal and administrative staff as well as more than 25,000 students. It has more than 253 international exchange agreements and invests 1 million € for year in mobility programmes. The UNIMORE group involved in the Project will be CHIMOMO Department. UNIMORE will exploit its wide expertise in ERASMUS+ projects, also in the sport domain, in order to contribute to the achievement of the project’s goals. Unimore offers extensive academic knowledge and practical experience in addressing social injustice and promoting social inclusion, with a focus on gender equality. This expertise extends beyond theory, with years of practical experience in the field of education and active involvement in projects dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and women’s rights.
Loris Vezzali, PhD (manager/researcher): full Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. His main research interests deal with intergroup relations and prevention of intergroup violence. From January 2017 to December 2019 he has been National Coordinator of the Section of Social Psychology of the Italian Association of Psychology (after being Treasurer for the section from 2014 to 2016). He is currently Dean of the Degree Course in at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. He is Editor in Chief of the Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, and Associate Editor of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. He has published on some of the most prestigious international journals in social psychology, mainly on the topics on how to promote social inclusion.
Alessia Cadamuro, PhD (manager/researcher): associate Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. In August 2007 she obtained a doctorate in General and Experimental Psychology at the Alma Mater Studiorum (Department of Psychology), University of Bologna, presenting a doctoral thesis on the relationship between cognitive performance and body posture. Her research focuses mainly on the study of developmental and educational psychology, on learning theories. In particular, she is interested in the theory of mind, metacognition, cognitive and learning styles and relationships between children and teachers.
Annamaria De Santis (Ph.D in Education): she is a researcher at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy), where she teaches Data Analysis in Education and Instructional Design in Digital Contexts in the degree course in Digital Education.
Her research interests focus, in particular, on e-Learning, online course design, and applications of quantitative approaches to educational research.
Elisa Bisagno PhD (manager/researcher): she is a developmental and sport psychologist. She got her PhD in Social Sciences in 2019 with an interdisciplinary thesis in developmental and sport psychology and completed a postgraduate course in Sport Psychology in 2020. She is currently an Assistant professor at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Her expertise deals with cognitive development, especially concerning working memory and executive functioning, motor learning and the relationship between sports participation and cognitive, affective and moral development. From 2019 on, she has been involved in numerous research projects and European projects aimed at fostering social inclusion through sport.
Alice Lucarini obtained her PhD in Psychological Sciences at the University of Padova (Italy) in 2023. Currently, she works as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy), where she is involved in several projects aimed at promoting social inclusion, in collaboration with various stakeholders, both at the national and at the international level. Her main research interests lie in the area of Social Psychology, spanning from intergroup contact to self-transcendence emotions and gender equality. She was a visiting researcher at the New York University (USA) in 2018 and at the Northeastern University (USA) in 2022. Her works have been published in various international journals.
Gian Antonio Di Bernardo, PhD (role: researcher, technician): he is Assistant Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. He works on the topic prejudice, with a focus on dehumanization, objectification, and implicit prejudice. He also works on social inclusion and on intergroup relations, dopting a social identity approach and investigating major theories, like intergroup contact theory, on which he has published relevant contributions on major social psychological journals.
Sandro Rubichi, PhD (role: researcher, technician): he is Full Professor in General Psychology Policy at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. He has been Dean of the Degree Course in at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, member of the Commission for the National Scientific Licence (2016-2018), member of he Research Commission of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia since 2010. His main research interests concern the neuro-cognitive bases of social behaviours along the developmental age and in adulthood, perceptive-motor behavior, decisional processes.
ForModena designs and implements training activities and services with the aim of promoting employment and the growth of professional skills of people, organizations and the Public Administration.
The areas of intervention of ForModena are: welfare policies: training courses for operators of social assistance structures, for people with disabilities, for new vulnerabilities and vulnerable groups on the labor market; initiatives and projects to accompany local welfare planning with particular attention to the professional development of women and the acquisition of STEM and STEAM skills.
training and services for transitions: collaboration with the school system in relation to the pathways for fulfilling the obligation, activation of training courses for training / work connection, management of alternation projects in high school, realization of services for work transitions of adults, occupied and unoccupied; skills for the production chains / districts to develop and consolidate distinctive know-how and competitiveness through training for work and on the job. ForModena provides specialized training expertise, a crucial resource of the project. This expertise encompasses various training formats, including face-to-face, online, and digital methods outlined in the project guidelines. One of the main objectives is to train and empower coaches to become influential educators, given their central role in the project’s communication activities and group initiatives.
Francesca Malagoli (manager): general manager of ForModena, she has a long-standing expertise in developing communications strategies, coupled with EU Projects competence as dissemination and quality monitoring partners. Five years of experience as a project manager in a large refugee camp, expert in monitoring and project governance. She is also a national expert on gender equality, especially in the workplace sector.
Giovanni Gobbi (project manager): Erasmus+ project coordinator on behalf of UNIMORE. Coordinator of transnational activities in several European Projects (Horizon, Equal, Leonardo, Grundtvig, Erasmus+). Designer for various organizations in Italy (Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Siciliy, Piedmont, Abruzzo, Veneto, European Union). Lecturer: in several ESF courses in the following subjects: marketing, sales techniques, labor legislation in social enterprises. Speaker at various national and international conferences with issues relating to the social and professional inclusion of disabled people.
Alice Cavazzoli: collaborator of ForModena in the field of design and implementation of European projects.
Since its establishment over 20 years ago, participation in public projects has always been a valued part of EURACTIV’s business model. Euractiv is an excellent communication partner for European public projects and a natural channel to disseminate EU policies to media and stakeholders at the national and local level. EURACTIV’s content is accessed by over one million people every month and has the ability to reach over 80% of Europeans in their native language. Euractiv has relevant experience in gender equality campaigns and projects. Having worked with UEFA, FA, and UNIMORE, EURACTIV has the key expertise needed for the project. Their experience is key to delivering an effective media campaign to promote gender equality with football players’ ambassadors.
Josephine Hannay: European Projects Senior Manager at Euractiv. Josephine will lead the communication and dissemination of the project across multiple channels – coordinating the editorial and multimedia content produced by Euractiv in the remit of the project. She is also responsible for the technical and financial reporting of Euractiv’s activities.
Marco Venosta: Project Manager at Euractiv since September 2021. He works on the project management of various EU grants (Life, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, DG AGRI), coordinating internal work, representing Euractiv with the project consortia and working on the technical reports of activities.
PROJECT SUPPORTED BY UEFA
UEFA contributes institutional support, expertise, and the ability to effectively communicate outcomes with affiliated Football Associations (FAs) and a wider audience through its influential media channels.
TARGET: YouTh footbAll players as ambassadoRs for GEnder equaliTy 