The River Plate Foundation continues to share the importance of football as a social transformer.
This Tuesday, a meeting was held in the SUM (Multipurpose Room) between the River Plate Foundation, River Plate, and the British Embassy to discuss the importance of transcending the social aspect and to share experiences about football as an educational tool.
In this regard, Ignacio Villarroel, Vice President of Club Atlético River Plate, stated during the event, “River is much more than a football club: there are 40 federated and recreational sports activities; River has education: a kindergarten, an elementary and secondary school, a university. Moreover, the club has a Foundation that reaches the entire country with its programs. All this is River: a lot of things happen every day, more than 5000 people come through here daily.”
The British Ambassador Kirsty Hayes added, “I think it’s a wonderful idea that River Plate is looking to connect with institutions from the United Kingdom to share experiences and learn from each other, thus making the world see sport as a tool to teach coexistence and make our societies better.”
Felipe Llorente, Secretary of the River Plate Foundation, added, “For the River Plate Foundation, it is very important to have these meetings because we find points of synergy with great references. Through the ‘Values on the Field’ program, we provide an educational, recreational, and supportive space for girls, boys, and adolescents from 6 to 14 years old who live in situations of social vulnerability through mixed football and values schools. We are happy to share our work experiences, our own methodology, the use of the green card to reward good actions that denote a learning of values, and the traffic light to record behaviors that need a comprehensive approach in our schools.”
Additionally, the meeting included a virtual participation from UCFB, the University Campus of Football Business located in Wembley, London. During their presentation, Sharona Friedman, President of the Global Institute of Sport, and Enric Ripoll explained the daily work they do to offer students innovative programs in the sports industry and expand to more places around the world.
To conclude the event, Lucía de la Vega highlighted: “When sports, education, and the learning of values are linked, a positive dynamic is put into practice that enhances inclusion and promotes equality. From the River Plate Foundation, we are sure that through a ball we have opportunities to transmit healthy practices and continue sharing experiences.”
