Waterford FC are thrilled to hear that our autism projects have been nominated for this years EFDN More Than Football Award.
Our Autism-Friendly inclusion project has been selected as one of the final 10 projects in the running for the European Football for Development Network’s “More than Football” Award 2024 powered by Musco Lighting.
The 10 club projects selected by the EFDN staff and EFDN Board members are seen as the more innovative among the Europe wide entry of Football & Social Responsibility projects and will proceed to the next round of selections to compete for the EFDN’s More Than Football Award 2024.
Our autism programme features two main initiatives: an autism friendly match day experience where appointed volunteer Club Ambassadors are on hand at all times to assist children and parents whenever they attend a game at the RSC, and the second centred on playing opportunities for children with autism and Waterford FC facilitates the weekly Football Friends programme where parents can bring their children to play in an inclusive, safe and secure environment at Ozier Park.
Waterford FC’s Head of Community Development Colin Power spoke on our autism initiatives at Waterford FC: “This is part of Waterford FC’s new initiative to make matchday more inclusive. Over the past year, we have worked closely with organisations such as 50 Shades of Exceptional, AsIAM (Ireland’s National Autism organisation), Autism Friendly Waterford, Mount Sion CBS , the National Learning Network Waterford and most importantly, the parents of kids and young adults with Autism to fully understand how to best facilitate a positive experience for our guests at Waterford FC”.
We are delighted to be nominated for this fantastic award alongside some of Europe’s top football club’s, and look forward to seeing the final-project shortlist in September.
