West Ham Foundation Joins Football For Friendship

A group of young people from the West Ham United Foundation will be joining children from different countries at the Football For Friendship international Children’s Forum in Milan before attending this year’s UEFA Champions League final on 28th May. 

The Football For Friendship international children’s social programme – an initiative implemented by Gazprom, an official sponsor of the UEFA Champions League – aims to develop youth football and foster tolerance and respect towards different cultures and ethnicities among children from across the world.

Eight young Hammers, aged 12-14, together with one young journalist, have been selected from across the Foundation’s existing projects to represent the United Kingdom in this year’s programme.

The team will go to Italy at the end of May to participate in a series of events, including a Football For Friendship international children’s forum and street soccer tournament alongside the other participating clubs, before watching the UEFA Champions League final at AC Milan’s San Siro Stadium.

Prior to traveling to Milan, the group of youngsters will be supporting the programme’s International Day of Football and Friendship, a day of celebration across the globe for each of the participating nations on 25^th April.

Over the course of the day, the youngsters will be given a tour of the Boleyn Ground, before taking part in a local football tournament against other teams from projects supported by the West Ham United Foundation.

The overall number of participating countries in the Football For Friendship initiative has grown from 24 last year to 32 in 2016.

Speaking about their involvement in this year’s programme, West Ham United Foundation chief executive, Joseph Lyons, said: “We were thrilled to be approached to take part in this year’s Football For Friendship programme, which is sure to give this group of young people, and our coaches, an experience that they will never forget.

“Our aim at the Foundation is to break down barriers and unite our local community through the power of football, so this is a perfect opportunity for the participants to promote those values on the international stage.”