Page 22 - TORCH Magazine - Issue #19

Chelsea Football Club and
itC
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CUFI.ORG.UK
s fight against anti-Semitism
helsea Football Club may
have been crowned European champions last season, but the London club are also playing
a leading role in building bridges between Jews and Arabs through football as well as making a valuable contribution in the fight against anti-Semitism.
The universal passion for football
has always been instrumental in uniting people of different backgrounds and Chelsea has identified a wonderful opportunity to bring Jewish and Arab young people together through a unique peace initiative.
The Chelsea Foundation is partnering with the Israeli Football Association (IFA) and the Peres Centre for Peace and Innovation (PCPI) to bring a sports- based leadership programme to Israel
that will reach more than a thousand children and young adults in 2021/22. The project, which is funded by
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, sees Jewish and Arab university students participate in a football-based, anti- discrimination and leadership training programme led by Chelsea’s professional coaching staff. Following their training, young leaders work in mixed Jewish- Arab pairs to implement inclusive football activities for mixed classes of Jewish and Arab schoolchildren.
The partnership developed following Chelsea Women’s visit to Israel in 2019, during which the team took part in football and education workshops
with Arab and Jewish girls, promoting communication and teamwork and bringing different communities together through sport.