Team sports contribute to youth development, empowerment, confidence, and social connection. Teaching children the benefits of physical activity and promoting an active lifestyle can also act as a catalyst for shifts towards healthier ways of living within the most deprived families. This is more important than ever, given the unprecedented difficulties experienced by the most vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

In light of this, the Children’s Acquaintance with Sports project, financed by the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), aimed to foster positive attitudes towards physical activity, help eliminate the negative impacts of poverty, and facilitate social inclusion among children (aged 6–12 years) from deprived families living in the Achaia region.  

Georgia is a FEAD recipient and single parent. Her daughter is 12 years old, and was among the 200 children who took part in team sports activities run by the project (including basketball, water polo, volleyball, and taekwondo). 

‘Children’s Acquaintance with Sports is humane, and very supportive,’ Georgia says. ‘I believe that participating in sports activities is important for the overall health of our children, and I hope that accompanying measures like this which support the healthy development of our children will be continued.’ 

The Western Greece Region’s political commitment, as well as strong cooperation with the Greek FEAD Managing Authority (EIEAD), played a crucial role in the project’s success, and volunteers and civil society (sports academies, media) also proved to be powerful allies in strengthening social cohesion. 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions and the resulting national lockdown, project implementation was suspended after four months and postponed for the summer of 2021. It was then extended to the end of the year.