Discover a few of the speakers at the 18th EFDN #Morethanfootball Conference

Discover a few of the speakers at the 18th EFDN #Morethanfootball Conference

The European Football for Development Network (EFDN) will host its 18th EFDN Conference from the 14th until the 16th of November 2022 in Budapest, Hungary. The topic of this EFDN Conference will be “Sustainability and Human Rights”, which will take place at the Groupama Arena, the stadium of EFDN Member Ferenvárosi TC.

EFDN Conferences bring a unique opportunity for CSR experts and newcomers into the CSR world to learn from each other and share their insights about topics such as fundraising in CSR, environmental sustainability, anti-discrimination, social inclusion, online safeguarding, physical activity in younger and older population, or STEM education, among others. The format of the conference includes panels, breakout sessions, study visits and roundtables, and offers multiple chances to network and connect with other EFDN members and experts in the CSR in football.

This news article will give you an impression of some more of the knowledgeable and competent speakers in the fields of sustainability and human rights within football who we have contacted to share their expertise with you:

Lin Wilson, consultant at Upshot, is a confirmed speaker at our 18th EFDN #Morethanfootball Conference in Budapest from the 14th until the 16th of November 2022.

Kathryn Albany-Ward, CEO/Founder of Color Blind Awareness, is a confirmed speaker at our 18th EFDN #Morethanfootball Conference in Budapest from the 14th until the 16th of November 2022.

Kathryn Albany-Ward founded Colour Blind Awareness in 2009 following a shock discovery that her son was colour blind because he was unable to tell which players were in his football team at school. After he was unable to follow a Champions League game on TV as a teenager, Kathryn was introduced to UEFA and since 2015 has been their advisor on colour blindness. She also advises the English FA, the Premier League and other football industry stakeholders on the impact of colour blindness. Kathryn was instrumental in creating the first Guidance Notes on Colour Blindness in Football, the Annex on colour blindness in the latest edition of the Sports Ground Safety Authority’s ‘Green Guide’ and World Rugby’s recently published guidance on colour blindness in rugby.   

This session will provide an introduction to colour blindness and why it is important for all stakeholders in football to be aware of the impact it can have on every aspect of the game. Colour blindness is a very common, inherited condition which affects the ability 8% of men to tell many different colour combinations apart. The presentation will consider problems for players and fans, such as distinguishing between kits or seeing equipment, for example the ball or training cones against the pitch. The commercial  implications for ticketing, merchandising and sponsorship and the safety and security risks for venue operators will also be considered. The conclusion will offer some practical solutions.  

Inna Khmyzova, Director of Shaktar Social Foundation, is a confirmed speaker at our 18th EFDN #Morethanfootball Conference in Budapest from the 14th until the 16th of November 2022.

Inna Khmyzova has been working at FC Shakhtar Donetsk for 17 years. At first, in Donetsk and then in Kyiv, going through 2 tremendous wars during this period. Within 17 years at the club, Inna has worked in different areas, and obtained experience in marketing, brand management, sponsorship, events and matches organization. For the last 4 years, Inna has been leading Shakhtar Social Foundation, which was founded by FC Shakhtar in 2018. 

The war in Ukraine continues for 265 days. During this period 430 children died and 826 were injured as a result of military aggression by Russia (according to the official statistics on November, 2. Not including occupied territories like Mariupol, where the information can’t be gathered)
FC Shakhtar and the Foundation started to help Ukrainians from the first days of the war. The activities of the Shakhtar Social Foundation have changed immensely since the beginning of the war but the main priority stays the same. Our focus is to help children who are in need, especially those who lost their parents because of war.
Football is a unique tool to raise awareness about the real situation in Ukraine. The Solidarity of European football clubs is crucial for helping those who suffer because of war. The Ukrainian “case” is a pure example of football that is much more than football. We are grateful to EFDN and clubs who have already supported us, and we hope that we will fight together and we can count on your support until the war is over.

 Iñaki Alonso Romero, , is a confirmed speaker at our 18th EFDN #Morethanfootball Conference in Budapest from the 14th until the 16th of November 2022.

Iñaki is a law specialist, who has been working towards the prevention of children violence on humanitarian contexts for the past 21 years. Furthermore, Iñaki loves sport, which has led him to combine these two different topics for the last 4 years. The most significant challenge he faces is to translate the language of these two topics. He presents himself as a translator of safeguarding in relation to the sport language. Moreover, he aims to support sport professionals in their duty of care. Iñaki acts as a parent in sport, which enables him to understand the perspective of children in relation to safeguarding in sport.

Iñaki will be a part of both a panel session discussing online safeguarding. More information about the session can be found below:

Panel
Child Online Protection – a must have in a club’s child protection framework?
Football clubs protect children from harm by having sound safety measures and a protection framework in place. Nonetheless, many clubs are struggling to include online safety policies, even though they use digital tools in their communication with the children or publish their personal data on websites or social media channels.
Why is it important to fill the gap and treat online safety as an equal to offline safety? How can clubs ensure that they don’t expose children to online risks?
The panel gives voice to a young person engaged in online safety work, EFDN members and Child Online Protection experts to jointly discuss the role of football clubs in ensuring that children and youth are protected and empowered online.
The panel is linked to a breakout session in the afternoon that presents recommendations on the drafting of online safety policies and implementation of related measures.