After tow years developing and delivering practical educational tools, national training activities, and awareness initiatives, Integriball 2.0 project officially concluded on October 21st with the issuing of a Joint Statement on the Protection and Empowerment of Youth and Women in Football.
Held in Bucharest, the Integriball 2.0 Closing Conference was attended by representatives from ULIS, Berkeley Global Society, CSCF Foundation for Sport Integrity, and supporting partner UEFA, as well as members of the Estonian, Georgian and Romanian football federations.
ULIS contribution to the project
Participants discussed the key results and takeaways from the project, designed to strengthen the integrity of women’s and youth football across Europe and around the globe. ULIS Project Manager Cristina Swan outlined ULIS’ participation in the project, which included in particular ULIS’ contribution to the research phase, situational report, curriculum and training sessions.
Panel discussions on the protection of youth and women’s football were held, the latter featuring insights from Swan on how monitoring data can play a role in educating players.
Integriball 2.0 Joint Statement
Launched in March 2024, Integriball 2.0 was a two-year initiative that sought to enhance the educational resources available to football federations in Estonia, Georgia and Romania, while providing direct training to players and coaches in the three countries.
The Joint Statement declared that “coaches, educators, and athletes are better equipped to identify and respond to integrity and safeguarding challenges” as a result of the Integriball 2.0 project, while the train-the-trainer methodology “has created sustainable knowledge transfer mechanisms and reinforced the long-term capacity of football institutions in Estonia, Georgia, and Romania.”
Integriball 2.0 partners reaffirmed their commitment to promoting education as the most effective prevention tool against manipulation and abuse in sport, strengthening collaboration nationally and internationally, and continuing this important work aimed at maintaining the highest standards of integrity in sport.
