NEWS CENTER - The "Hope League" project launched in North and East Syria and the Federated Kurdistan Region under the leadership of the Barça Foundation.
Barcelona Football Club, the world-famous team of Spain's Catalonia Autonomous Region, is launching a "Hope League" project in North and East Syria and the Federated Kurdistan Region.
According to the news on the official website of the Barça Foundation, the "Hope League" project, which will start on 25 June 2025 and last until October 2026, in partnership with the foundation, La Caserna, NOVACT Institute for Nonviolence, UPP, Doz International, IDare and Casa Nostra Casa Vostra, aims to directly involve more than 600 children aged 8-14.
TARGET TO REACH MORE THAN 600 CHILDREN
In the news article, it is stated that the aim of the project is not only football: " The main goal is to promote social cohesion and prevent future violent conflicts and radicalisation processes among new generations with special attention to the sons and daughters of victims of the Islamic State— through community football schools that promote a culture of peace dialogue, and coexistence." In the news article, it was stated that in the first field work carried out in the region in April, former Barcelona footballer Oleguer Presas gave trainings for the training staff of the football schools to be established in Kobane, Hassakeh, Raqqa, and Tiberspiye, Erbil and Suleimaniya. Within the scope of the project, more than 600 children between the ages of 8-14 are planned to participate in weekly football sessions.
The project, which is financed by the Catalan Development Cooperation Agency, is also supported by the voluntary contribution of many international actors working in the field of human rights and social justice.