Global Fútbol

More than 120,000 Syrian refugees are currently living in the Za'atari and Azraq refugee camps in Jordan, which have been in place since 2012 and 2016 respectively given that so many were forced to flee the war in their country. More than 50 percent of these refugees are minors who face an uncertain future and, according to UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), many of them will spend their entire childhood and youth inside these camps.

That is why LaLiga, through its Foundation and sports projects department and in collaboration with AFDP Global (Asian Football Development Project), has been developing the ‘LaLiga | Za'atari Social Project’ since 2018. This is a social and sporting project that aims to improve the quality of life of refugee children and teenagers, using football as a tool to promote the positive values of sport and to empower refugees to improve their psychological well-being, resilience and social integration.

As part of this project, more than 27,000 toys have been delivered through the ‘Un Juguete, Una Ilusión’ (‘One Toy, One Hope’) campaign, which is promoted by RTVE (Spanish Radio and Television, the Spanish public broadcasting corporation) and by the Fundación Crecer Jugando (Keep Playing Foundation). These toys are purchased thanks to the proceeds from the sale of a charity pen, all with the aim of keeping these kids’ dreams alive.

In addition to the delivery of individual toys, something that was also done in 2020, this year around 4,000 toys will be sent to fill out 12 toy libraries, thanks to the collaboration of nine other social entities working in the field, with the aim of creating spaces where children can play together and have fun.

As part of this, two days packed with excitement were organised and featured the participation of representatives of LaLiga, of the LaLiga Foundation, of the Fundación Crecer Jugando, of the Spanish Embassy in Jordan, of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), of UNHCR and of other authorities who run the camps.

A football competition starts this December

The visit to Za'atari also provided an opportunity to celebrate one of the most exciting moments of the season: the draw for the kits of the teams at the camp that will participate in a football competition, with these kits having been donated by various LaLiga and LaLiga F clubs. The competition, which begins this December, will have a total of 32 teams, as there will be 16 boys’ teams (U12) and 16 girls’ teams (U14 and U17), with more than 350 boys and girls taking part.

Meanwhile, training courses will continue for coaches and referees, with these based on the ‘Valores Para Ganar’ (‘Values to Win’) methodology. In these courses, participants are able to expand their technical-tactical knowledge of the game, their understanding of training methodology, their first aid skills and their awareness of sporting values. At the Azraq refugee camp, there will also be training courses and tournaments, replicating those of Za'atari. The aim is to keep bringing these types of initiatives to places with the greatest humanitarian need.

Olga de la Fuente, the director of the LaLiga Foundation, has spoken about this project and stated: “It was wonderful to be able to share the hope and happiness of these children as we promoted their right to play and enjoy leisure time, which is crucial for their development. Initiatives like this one complement and enrich the social and sporting projects that we have been developing in Za'atari and Azraq, and they motivate us to continue with our mission of improving their quality of life by using football as a tool for social inclusion.”