New football talents live in these neighborhoods

Within the four lines, everyone is equal, regardless of age, height, culture, gender or area in which they live. This is the concept of the Community Champions League sports programme.

Gebalis invests heavily in projects targeting children and youth in Lisbon’s municipal areas. in order to strengthen their academic, personal and especially social skills. The Community Champions League (CCL) is one such innovative initiative promoted by Fundasão Benfica in a strategic partnership with Gebalis. Since 2019, this European project has aimed to promote active citizenship and social inclusion through football.

“Gebalis’ role is to manage the city’s council housing, but we don’t just want to manage houses and tenancies, we want to go beyond that and promote personal development. We want to reach young people by giving them the opportunity to play sports and promote social contributions. and we want them to feel empowered and able to identify their value in their community.”

“All these young people have potential and can contribute to the improvement of the area. This is what we want to awaken with the Community Champions League,” says Marlene Almeida from Gebalis Community Intervention Projects.

According to Jorge Miranda, director of Fundação Benfica: “A project like this that is being developed in the city should be carried out jointly with the city. Fundação Benfica has the potential to bring young people together, but it needs the right partners. There are no better partners than the parish councils and Gebalis, which manages the entire housing stock of the city of Lisbon and has a very favorable and very clear vision for the development of this city.”

Sense of belonging and integration

Starring teams from more than eleven parishes of LisbonCCL allows young people to interact with people from areas other than their own, which promotes competition but above all a sense of belonging and integration.

“These young people play with each other, regardless of gender, on different teams, get to know other children and work with other adults than those they interact with on a daily basis. It is very important to have other experiences and contacts, to leave the area and experience other places. Opportunities that will influence your future,” shares Nuno Varela from the Alto Lumiar team.

And since games are won on the field, but not only, teams are encouraged to develop social responsibility projects in their communities. The idea is for these young people to understand that they can play an active role in improving the quality of life in their communities.

“This project has a sporting aspect because young people love to play football, but it also has a social aspect. They end up reclassifying their neighborhoods and engaging in activities that they are proud of. The people in these neighborhoods themselves recognize the good they do,” says João Videira from Fundasan Benfica.

European Champions

Besides the social issue, these competitions provide young people with a unique experience, namely participation in European tournaments. The latest edition took place in the Netherlands and Portugal national team under 15from the Quinta do Loureiro area, was the winner in your category.

This just goes to show that the Community Champions League is about so much more than football, it is about inclusion, friendship, responsibility towards others and creating a sense of community and citizenship.