Young football players from 24 countries of Europe and Asia meet at Third International Children’s Football for Friendship Forum
RELEASE
Release
Today Berlin hosted the Third International Children's Forum organised within the Gazprom social Football for Friendship program. The program is aimed at developing youth football and promoting universal human values among children and teenagers. The event gathered young players from the best football clubs of 24 European and Asian countries: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Japan, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
The total number of Forum participants is 670 people. In 2015 the Football for Friendship program has been globally supported by more than 100,000 children and adults, including famous sportsmen and artists.
During the Forum children have an opportunity to communicate with their peers from other countries and football stars including the global Ambassador of the program Franz Beckenbauer as well as to participate in the International Street Soccer Tournament among youth football teams.
Forum events are covered by around 200 journalists of the major global media as well as by 24 young reporters from Europe and Asia who joined the International Children's Press Centre.
The Forum culminated with awarding of Nine Values Cup that was given by young participants of the Football for Friendship to professional clubs of the UEFA Champions League for social projects that put into practice values of the program: friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions and honour. This unique trophy with no analogue in sports community was presented for the first time. The winner was chosen by children who had taken part in the global 24-countrywide voting held shortly before the Forum.
The Football for Friendship Nine Values Cup went to FC Barcelona. Children marked club's initiatives in support and development of youth football as well as help for young football players from developing countries.
After the Forum all the participants traditionally visit the UEFA Champions League Final.
Vyacheslav Krupenkov, Senior Managing Director of Gazprom Germania with Forum participants
“Over three years the number of the Football for Friendship participating countries has tripled. And applications for participation keep on coming. In 2015 Asian countries joined the project, and now the Football for Friendship events take place all over Eurasia. Every year an increasing number of people shares values of the program. Huge interest in the Football for Friendship as well as support of global sports community prove that the project is important and relevant, that we have chosen the right type of guidance to educate younger generation our future depends on,” said Gazprom Management Committee Chairman Alexey Miller.
“The Football for Friendship program has an incredible dynamics: new events and initiatives are regularly introduced, and there is clear movement forward. Three years ago children formed values of the project, in 2014 the Day of Football and Friendship was established as well as program's official symbol – the Friendship bracelet which is worn by children and adults from 26 countries. This year's innovation is Nine Values Cup that is presented by children to adults for good deeds. Thus children find the right example to follow and adults get motivation to keep on implementing social projects. This is a great initiative and I proudly support it,” said the global Ambassador of the Football for Friendship program Franz Beckenbauer.
Background
The International Children's Football for Friendship social program is implemented by Gazprom within the Gazprom for Children initiative. The program is aimed at developing youth football, fostering tolerance and promoting friendship among children from various countries. The key values supported and promoted by the participants include friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions and honour. World football legend Franz Beckenbauer is the global Ambassador of the program.
The annual International Children's Football for Friendship Forum is the major event of the program, bringing together 12- to 14-year-old players from top football clubs. The key program values were formed by young delegates from eight European countries during the First Forum held in London on May 25, 2013. The Second Forum uniting the representatives from 16 countries took place in Lisbon on May 23–25, 2014.
During the Football for Friendship Forum young footballers have a chance to communicate with their peers from other countries as well as famous athletes and cultural figures.
Gazprom is a global energy company. Its major business lines are geological exploration, production, transportation, storage, processing and sales of gas, gas condensate and oil, sales of gas as a vehicle fuel as well as generation and marketing of heat and electric power.
Gazprom views its mission in reliable, efficient and balanced supply of natural gas, other fuels and their derivatives to consumers.
Gazprom holds the world's largest natural gas reserves. Its share in the global and Russian gas reserves makes up 17 and 72 per cent respectively. Gazprom accounts for 12 and 69 per cent of the global and Russian gas production output accordingly. At present, the Company is active in large-scale projects aimed at developing gas resources of the Yamal Peninsula, the Arctic shelf, Eastern Siberia and the Far East, as well as hydrocarbon exploration and production projects abroad.
Gazprom is the largest investor into the Russian power industry and a leading Company of the Russian oil industry.
Together with the active business development, Gazprom pays much attention to social projects. In particular, the Company provides support to a number of sports organizations and events of both international and all-Russia scale. Gazprom is the official partner of the UEFA Champions League, offering support to the UEFA Super Cup, as well as a whole range of world's famous football clubs – German Schalke 04, British Chelsea and Serbian Crvena Zvezda.
Gazprom is a permanent sponsor of the Zenit FC, the SKA hockey club (St. Petersburg) and the Avangard (Omsk Region) hockey club, the Zenit-Kazan volleyball club, the St. Petersburg Open tennis tournament. The Company annually co-finances rhythmic gymnastics, volleyball, chess, biathlon and other sports competitions. Across its operation areas Gazprom conducts the Adult and Children's Spartakiada Games on a regular basis.