Fans Against Negativity, Promoting Equality, Acceptance, and Cultural Exchange

ongoing

General objective of FANPEACE Project is counter hate speech against football players and fans and prevent fan violence and discrimination in stadiums by increasing diversity in stadiums and involving more women, children, families, and ethnic minority supporters, thus promoting European values in and through sport, equality, inclusion, non-discrimination, respect for human rights and dignity and tolerance. The duration of the project is 18 months. Project main target group consists of fans of different genders, ages, ethnic minorities, with different social, economic and professional status from the partner countries and especially women, children and ethnic minority groups; football players of different ages and ethnic minority groups from the partner football teams; local communities of the project partners; football associations and federations from the partner countries; academia. At least 110 fans, football players and local community representatives will benefit from the FANPEACE project. To achieve its goal, the project, through the collaboration and experience of 2 football organisations from Bulgaria and Greece and the Faculty of Sports of Nikola Tesla University in Serbia, will explore the personal stories of violence, discrimination and hate speech of football players and fans as a basis to develop and implement innovative team support activities that will attract diverse supporters - women, children, ethnic minority fans to the stadium. These activities will create a positive atmosphere that eliminates hate speech, intolerance and violence on and off the football field. The project will thus provide a good example of how to raise awareness of the role of amateur football in promoting equality and European values in sport, inclusion and diversity. At the heart of the project is the promotion of a different way of looking at sporting events, as a positive and peaceful family experience that educates about the values of inclusion and peace.