FedEx and UEFA Foundation for Children have worked behind the scenes to bring the excitement of the competition to life for children in Stockholm
FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company and a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) has teamed up with the UEFA Foundation for Children to offer children nominated by local charities the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to act as player escorts at the UEFA Europa League Final.
As Main Sponsor of the UEFA Europa League, FedEx will once again donate its player escort benefit – giving 22 children aged 7-9, the chance to walk onto the pitch, hand in hand with footballing heroes at the Friends Arena, Stockholm on 24 May 2017.
“Football has a tremendous power to bring people together and we’re proud that our business connects more people with more opportunities the world over. FedEx sponsorship of the UEFA Europa League, and what we can achieve through our work with the UEFA Foundation for Children, ties in perfectly with our commitment to the communities we live and work in as a global logistics business,” says Patrick Stienlet, VP Operations Nordics, FedEx Express.
FedEx and the UEFA Foundation for Children, worked with global NGO streetfootballworld, Stockholm-based organisation Djurgården Fotboll, and three charitable organisations – Barn Till Ensamma Mammor, Trygga Barnen and Kista Sports Club – to identify children who would benefit most from the experience.
“For these children, the opportunity to be a player escort at a tournament as prestigious as this cannot be underestimated. It helps to build new levels of confidence, fosters pride, and raises their aspirations by giving them real life access to their role models.” Filip Lundberg, Head of Sustainability, Djurgården Fotboll.
FedEx will also use 100 general admission tickets to host additional children, their guardians and charity workers from these organisations as its guests at the game.
“Thanks to organisations like FedEx and its support of the football for good movement, we’re able to connect two worlds: the world of professional football, where the glamour of a tournament unfolds on a global stage, and football on a local level where the beautiful game plays its part in delivering social change.”
Vladimir Borkovic, streetfootballworld
“We’re delighted to deliver this, and other community football projects together with FedEx who, as Main Sponsor of the UEFA Europa League, shares our belief in football as a powerful tool for social change. In donating its player escort opportunities for the second year in a row, FedEx is once again able to provide children who face difficult challenges in their daily lives with an experience that’s really out of the ordinary. We hope the incredible atmosphere at the UEFA Europa League Final and the pride of being chosen to escort the professional players on to the pitch will excite and inspire these children to follow their dreams.”
Pascal Torres, General Secretary of UEFA Foundation for Children
FedEx and the UEFA Foundation for Children will continue to work together throughout the course of the sponsorship to deliver a series of activities using football as a platform for social change. In 2016 the two organisations worked together with streetfootballworld to install a ‘Pitch in a Box’, an enclosed, artificial turf football field, in Cañada Real – an underserved community near Madrid. Planning has begun on a second football pitch to be built in a community in north-east Poland this summer. The pitches are maintained by local charities through the streetfootballworld network, and provide a safe environment for young people to play and develop important life skills such as respect and dialogue.
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About FedEx Express
FedEx Express is the world’s largest express transportation company, providing fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments, by a definite time and date with a money-back guarantee[1].
[1] Subject to relevant terms and conditions.
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $58 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 400,000 team members to remain “absolutely, positively” focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. To learn more about how FedEx connects people and possibilities around the world, please visit about.fedex.com.
FedEx Press contacts:
Kate Bowen, Senior Communications Specialist, FedEx Express
E: kbowen@fedex.com
T: +44 (0) 7967 182 608
UEFA Foundation for Children
Established in 2015, the UEFA Foundation for Children is a charitable organisation governed by Swiss law. It defends the rights of underprivileged children by using the power of football to improve their lives and to help them develop their potential and find their place in the community. The foundation currently invests in more than 60 projects in 50 countries worldwide. More than 500,000 children have already benefited from the foundation’s work since its creation.
streetfootballworld
streetfootballworld is a leading non-profit in the field of football for good. Football has a unique power to change the world for good. Our goal is to unleash this power.
We bridge the gap between community organisations that use football to change lives, with supporters and donors from the world of football, business, politics and philanthropy, who believe in their potential to change the world.
Our global network unites 123 community organisations in 79 countries empowering more than 2 million disadvantaged young people every year.
Djurgården Fotboll
Djurgården Football Club was founded in 1891 and is the largest of twenty sports sections under the brand Djurgårdens IF. The club competes in the top division for both men and women and engages almost 2,000 boys and girls in its youth section. Besides its successes on the pitch, the club has been nationally and internationally recognized for its CSR-engagement.