From 7 to 12 August 2026, Niš, Serbia hosted the International Training and Football Tournament, organized by Club for Youth Empowerment 018 (KOM 018). The event brought together young football players, coaches, and supporters for non-formal education workshops focused on sportsmanship, conflict resolution, diversity, inclusion, combating hate speech, fair play, and mutual respect. Participants represented Youth European Society (YES) from Bulgaria, Barcel’hona Sport Events from Spain, JuvenTagus – Associação Desportiva e Juvenil from Portugal, Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica TIQUITACA FOOTBALL from Italy, Futbolen Klub Septemvri from Bulgaria, ŽFK Mašinac from Serbia, and FC Nacional from Serbia.
The program also included an International Football Tournament, giving participants an opportunity to put the values and skills developed during the training into practice on the football field. Through sport, teamwork, and intercultural exchange, the event strengthened connections between participants from different countries and encouraged them to become ambassadors of fair play, inclusion, sportsmanship, and mutual respect in their clubs and local communities.
Pass a Ball, Make a Friend project is implementing by Club for Youth Empowerment 018 (KOM 018) from Serbia in cooperation with Youth European Society (YES) from Bulgaria, Barcel’hona Sport Events from Spain, JuvenTagus - Associação Desportiva e Juvenil from Portugal, Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica TIQUITACA FOOTBALL from Italy and Futbolen Klub Septemvri from Bulgaria. Pass a Ball, Make a Friend project aims to address the escalating conflicts and hate speech among local football teams, which have led to physical fights. Project will address these challenges by using football as a platform to combat hate speech, reduce physical conflicts and promote social inclusion. By promoting peaceful sportsmanship, "Pass a Ball, Make a Friend" not only improves relationships within football teams but also sets an example for broader community cohesion and understanding. The activities of the "Pass a Ball" project will be carried out in Bulgaria, Italy, Portugal, Serbia and Spain over a period of 24 months, from 01.11.2025 to 31.10.2027. The project is co-financed by the European Union.
