Abstract:
The Football4Reconciliation project aims to increase interaction and promote solidarity between Greek-Cypriots (G/C) and Turkish-Cypriots (T/C) through football-related events. By organizing friendly games, tournaments, workshops, and exchanges between football stakeholders, the project seeks to foster inclusiveness, dialogue, and cooperation across the divide in Cyprus. The project involves key stakeholders such as citizens, football clubs, academies, and sports-related institutions, with a focus on promoting values of solidarity, reconciliation, and democratic participation in decision-making processes.
Objectives:
- Increase interaction between G/C and T/C citizens through football events.
- Promote volunteering and exchange of knowledge/experiences in sports and football.
- Create a safe space for know-how exchange in sports and democratic participation.
Current Status:
The Football4Reconciliation project has transitioned into its mid-phase, marked by active implementation of planned activities. Friendly games between participating football clubs, workshops, seminars, and exchanges between stakeholders are underway, fostering inclusiveness, dialogue, and cooperation across the divide in Cyprus. Volunteer recruitment efforts have gained momentum, with a growing pool of volunteers from both communities actively engaged in football events and activities. Challenges such as cross-community event organization are being effectively managed through targeted strategies and collaborations with key stakeholders. Overall, the project is on track to achieve its objectives of promoting solidarity, reconciliation, and democratic participation in decision-making processes within the football community and beyond.
Findings:
At this stage, as the Football4Reconciliation project progresses, concrete results and outcomes are yet to be realized. Initial consultations and preparatory work have indicated strong interest and support from stakeholders for football-oriented activities promoting community engagement, solidarity, and reconciliation. Challenges such as volunteer recruitment and organizing cross-community events have been identified, and strategies are being developed to address them effectively. The project team remains optimistic about achieving impactful results as activities move forward, contributing significantly to promoting inclusiveness, dialogue, and cooperation across communities in Cyprus.
Partners:
O29M (Greek-Cypriot football club)
Dumlupınar Türk Spor Kulübü (DTSK) (Turkish-Cypriot football club)
Funding Agency:
The Football4Reconciliation project is funded by the European Commission under the Cypriot Civil Society in Action VIII program, specifically under Budget line: SCR.DEC.043701.01.2.B2021.
Acknowledgment:
We express our sincere gratitude to the European Commission for their financial support through the Cypriot Civil Society in Action VIII program, enabling the implementation of the Football4Reconciliation project. This funding has been instrumental in fostering bi-communal confidence building actions and promoting solidarity, dialogue, and cooperation through football in Cyprus. We also extend our thanks to all project partners, stakeholders, and participants for their dedication and contributions to achieving the project’s objectives of reconciliation and inclusiveness across communities.